Seattle Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert put on a striking performance as he led his team to a 2-0 victory over the San Diego Padres. Gilbert, in his seven innings of dominance on the mound, managed to strike out a career-high 12 batters while allowing only one hit.
The Mariners, in the midst of a six-game winning streak, have been on a roll lately and continued their winning ways against the Padres. With this victory, they have now won 11 out of their last 13 games and find themselves just two games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the third and final American League wild-card spot.
Gilbert’s pitching was nearly untouchable throughout the game, as he retired 21 of the 22 batters he faced. The only hit he allowed was an infield single to Xander Bogaerts in the second inning. Gilbert’s standout performance was complemented by a remarkable defensive play from star center fielder Julio RodrÃguez. RodrÃguez saved a potential home run by making a leaping catch at the wall, robbing Fernando Tatis Jr. of a scoring opportunity.
RodrÃguez’s defensive heroics didn’t end there. He also made a diving catch of Garrett Cooper’s shallow line drive in the third inning and ran down Jake Cronenworth’s liner to the left-center field gap in the fifth. His outstanding efforts in the field helped secure the victory for the Mariners.
The Padres struggled to generate offense against Gilbert, as he dominated them for the second time this season. In his previous outing against San Diego on June 6, Gilbert held them to just one run and three hits in seven innings. This time around, he was even more dominant, racking up six strikeouts in his final seven batters faced.
Seattle’s offense came through with timely hits to support Gilbert’s outstanding performance. In the fifth inning, Cal Raleigh drew a bases-loaded walk on a pitch-clock violation by Ray Kerr, giving the Mariners a 1-0 lead. In the sixth, Dylan Moore added an insurance run with an RBI triple that deflected off the glove of Trent Grisham, allowing Tom Murphy to score.
On the pitching side, Matt Brash struck out Trent Grisham with runners at the corners in the eighth inning, and Andrés Muñoz closed out the game in the ninth to secure the victory for Seattle.
The Padres’ starter, Nick Martinez, delivered three scoreless innings before being relieved by Ray Kerr. Martinez stepped in for injured pitcher Joe Musgrove for the second consecutive start.
Looking ahead, the Padres will send Yu Darvish to the mound in the series finale on Wednesday night. Darvish has been in fine form recently and previously threw eight shutout innings of two-hit ball against Seattle on September 13, 2022.
For the Mariners, they will likely promote their top pitching prospect, Emerson Hancock, from Double-A Arkansas to make his major league debut as Bryan Woo, the rookie right-hander, has been placed on the injured list due to right forearm inflammation.
This victory and the Mariners’ recent run of success have brought them within striking distance of a playoff spot. With their strong pitching and timely hitting, they will look to continue their winning ways and make a push for the postseason.
Sources:
https://apnews.com/article/mlb-sports-seattle-mariners-san-diego-padres-college-football-logan-gilbert-12e4d0050076a10eaffe7913c2028c42
