The Seattle Mariners took a demoralizing walk-off loss from the Athletics on Friday night but bounced back in a record-setting way.
One day after winning by a franchise record 18 runs, the Mariners look to record another victory when they visit the Athletics on Sunday afternoon at West Sacramento, Calif.
After losing 6-5 in 10 innings Friday when Donovan Walton of the A’s hit a walk-off two-run homer, Seattle racked up season bests for runs and hits (23) in Saturday’s 19-1 steamrolling of the Athletics.
The Mariners hit a season-high five homers for the third time this season while beating the A’s for just the second time in six meetings this month.
“Just fight and claw,” Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo said after improving to 9-1 all-time against the A’s. “Just do whatever you can to win today’s game. We will worry about tomorrow, tomorrow; don’t worry about yesterday.”
Seattle (70-79) had many heroes during the rout that leaves it five games behind the Houston Astros in the American League West and five games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the third and final wild-card spot.
Cole Young homered and drove in five runs, Randy Arozarena went deep and had four RBIs and Weston Wilson had a career-best five hits. Michael Arroyo belted his first major league homer and had three hits and three RBIs, while Dominic Canzone and J.P. Crawford also hit homers.
Young, Josh Naylor and Julio Rodriguez also had three hits apiece as the Mariners fell one hit shy of matching the franchise record for hits. Seattle had 24 in 1996 against the Minnesota Twins and the then-Anaheim Angels in 2004.
“Unbelievable offensive effort,” Seattle manager Dan Wilson said. “The guys really came out swinging. It’s just a matter of the way they went about it, the way they put at-bats together, the way we were hitting the ball all over the ballpark.”
The drubbing marked just the third setback in the past 10 games for the Athletics (60-89).
All-Star catcher Shea Langeliers (knee) returned to the lineup Saturday and went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Langeliers underwent surgery to repair a torn right meniscus on July 28.
Langeliers won’t catch again this season. He will only serve as the designated hitter or pinch hitter.
“It’s never part of the plan to get hurt and have to miss time,” said Langeliers, who has 23 homers. “But when something like that does happen, a lot of it’s your mental outlook on being able to stay positive and show up to the field every day and give it everything I’ve got to try to get back and get on the field with the guys again.”
Left-hander Jacob Lopez (6-4, 4.78 ERA) will take the mound for the A’s in the series finale.
Lopez, 28, had given up two or fewer runs in each of his last eight appearances before allowing four runs and seven hits in six innings against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday. He received a no-decision.
Lopez defeated the Mariners on April 21 when he gave up two runs and seven hits over 5 1/3 innings. He is 1-1 with a 13.50 ERA in two career outings against Seattle.
Cal Raleigh is 4-for-5 with three homers off Lopez.
Right-hander Bryce Miller (4-9, 4.22) starts for the Mariners.
Miller is 0-7 with a 6.89 ERA over his last 10 outings. He lost to the Texas Rangers on Tuesday when he allowed four runs and four hits over 3 2/3 innings.
Miller picked up a victory in relief against the A’s on May 25 when he gave up two runs and five hits over five innings. He stands 2-2 with a 3.49 ERA in seven appearances (six starts) against the Athletics.
Langeliers (3-for-12) has three homers off Miller and Lawrence Butler (3-for-7) also has taken him deep.
–Field Level Media
