SEATTLE — The Mariners took their time to find their gear at the plate Monday in the opener of their penultimate homestand of the season. But once they did, they proved just how lethal they can be in a 4-2 win over the Cardinals.
St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas had Seattle’s number early, retiring the side in order in his first three frames and stranding leadoff doubles in the next two, as the Cardinals jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Then Leo Rivas opened up the bottom of the sixth with a walk, and the Mariners — starting their third pass through the order — went to work.
Randy Arozarena shot a single up the middle to put runners on the corners and end Mikolas’ night. Reliever Gordon Graceffo walked Cal Raleigh on four pitches to load the bases. That brought up Julio Rodríguez, who took the first pitch he saw and laced the second into left field to plate the Mariners’ first run of the night and bring the crowd at T-Mobile Park to its feet. Before they could return to their seats, Josh Naylor drilled a double to the right-center gap, scoring two more and putting Seattle ahead, 3-2.
Naylor went on to steal his 25th bag of the year, swiping third with Graceffo overly-focused on Jorge Polanco at the plate — and Polanco promptly drove him home with a sacrifice fly.
Just like that, the Mariners had a spark, a lead and insurance.
That was plenty for the Seattle pitching staff to work with. Bryan Woo got back to the six-inning threshold after a two-start absence, tying a career high with nine strikeouts with an Alec Burleson two-run home run in the fourth the only dint on his line. The offense cashed in as soon as he left, setting the bullpen up perfectly, and Matt Brash, Eduard Bazardo and Andrés Muñoz combined to work three easy innings to see the win out.
