DETROIT — Two days after their most lopsided loss of the season with a result resembling a football score, a day after placing two of their best players on the 10-day disabled list for injuries that will likely keep them out longer, the Mariners completed their reversal of negative mojo with a series win over the Tigers on a day when Detroit ace Justin Verlander was on his game.
Seattle scratched out a run against Verlander and picked up the go-ahead run off closer Francisco Rodriguez on a Ben Gamel RBI single in the ninth to steal a 2-1 victory at Comerica Park.
Seattle has now won three of its past four games to improve to 10-13 on the season. After giving up 19 runs in the loss on Tuesday, Mariners pitchers held the Tigers to one run in the past two games.
“We got outscored in the series but we won the series and we’ll take it,” manager Scott Servais said. “I think we are getting back to playing our style of ball. We had a rough night that first night in here and we didn’t pitch very well. But our guys washed it off, got back after it and won the series.”
Facing Rodriguez in the ninth with the scored tied at 1-1, Kyle Seager, who was back in the starting lineup after a four-game hiatus with hip soreness, slapped a one-out double to left-center for his second hit of the game.
It brought to the plate rookie Ben Gamel, who was just called up to two days before to replace Mitch Haniger on the roster. It’s not an easy task considering Haniger had been the team’s most productive hitter before suffering a strained oblique in Tuesday’s loss.
Gamel made it clear that first day that trying to replicate Haniger’s massive production would be foolish.
“I’m not Mitch and my game is a little different,” Gamel said on Tuesday. “I’m just trying to make some plays and help the team win games.”
He did that by staying true to his patient approach. Gamel is willing to see pitches in at-bats and is comfortable hitting with two strikes. So when Rodriguez made him look foolish on a second straight changeup for a swinging strike on a 2-1 count, Gamel didn’t panic. He got the same pitch again and lined it into center.
“I was just looking for a pitch up in the zone,” Gamel said. “I saw his fastball early and then the changeup so I knew what to expect from him.”
Seager hustled home with what would be the winning run.
“That’s a big hit by Gamel,” Seager said. “We know he’s going to get in there and grind. He had a really good at-bat there off a really good closer.”
Edwin Diaz picked up his third save in the bottom of the ninth. He struck out the first two batters — Justin Upton and Alex Avila — with ease and dominance, needing just seven pitches. But with two outs, he gave up a single to pinch-hitter Andrew Romine. With the go-ahead run at the plate in James McCann, Diaz got some help from Taylor Motter on a first-pitch, pop-up into foul territory behind first base.
Motter, who was getting his first start at first base of the season and third appearance there, sprinted back with his eyes on the ball, making a brilliant over-the-shoulder catch while leaning over the rolled up infield tarp and reaching into the stands among a group of fans.
“The only thing that was in my head was that the tarp was coming up soon, so either I better catch it or the tarp is going to take me out before I get there,” Motter said. “Some of the outfield skills come in there — keeping your eye on the ball, not worrying what’s going on and feeing the warning track and how close you are.”
