Crawford stays red hot with bases loaded, mashes grand slam

SEATTLE -- J.P. Crawford showed earlier this homestand that he’s wired for leverage moments, with a walk-off over the Astros on Wednesday. But he takes it to another level when the bases are loaded.

Seattle’s shortstop delivered the dagger to the Angels in just the fourth inning of Saturday afternoon’s 9-0 win at T-Mobile Park, crushing a grand slam off Reid Detmers. Crawford sat all over a curveball -- with two strikes and two outs, to boot -- and yanked it 359 feet for a big, pull-side blast.

That knocked the Halos’ lefty out of the game, gave Bryce Miller plenty of breathing room to clear six shutout innings and paved the way for a rout after Seattle put up another four-spot in the sixth.

“I think if there's a chance to deliver in any moment, you capitalize on it,” Crawford said. “No matter what the score is or anything, whenever those moments come, you've got to be ready for it.”

Crawford is now 13-for-20 with the bases loaded since the start of last season and has been among the game’s best hitters in such situations in this stretch. He leads MLB in batting average (.650), slugging percentage (1.350), OPS (1.941) and RBIs (34) while ranking second in homers (three) and third in on-base percentage (.591), among 74 players with at least 20 plate appearances.

These gaudy numbers illustrate a player who’s truly tapped into his power, after a breakout year in 2023, and one who thrives in high-stakes at-bats -- a rare blend in the pressure-packed climate of today’s game that’s so predicated on pitching.

“The pressure is definitely on the pitcher,” Crawford said. “I think just going in there with the mentality to get a good pitch and don't miss it.”

The clutch factor has become so ingrained into his fabric as a player in large part because he speaks it into conviction.

“Every time I walk up there,” Crawford said. “That's the mentality you’ve got to have every time you go to the plate.”

It’s taken longer than Crawford or the Mariners anticipated in 2024, but he’s finally rounded into form. He’d begun heating towards the end of April then was sidelined for three weeks due to a right oblique strain sustained on an awkward swing in batting practice, only to have his rehab prolonged after he was hit by a pitch on his right hand during his final tuneup game at Triple-A Tacoma.

Since his May 20 return, Crawford has already had a few big moments -- a leadoff homer last Friday at Washington, a walk-off sacrifice fly in extra innings (also with the bases loaded) on Wednesday against the Astros and Saturday’s big slam.

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In this stretch, he’s hitting .255/.333/.489 (.822 OPS) with five doubles and two homers. And as an aside, he remains MLB’s only shortstop without an error (min. 250 innings).

“He’s a great leader,” Miller said. “He's a confident guy, and I think the confidence kind of radiates to the people around him. So he's a fun guy to play with.”

Crawford had the biggest highlight, but his teammates poured it on in the sixth. Luke Raley ended a power drought by crushing his fifth homer of the year and first since May 21, having gone 2-for-25 since he last went deep.

Ryan Bliss followed with his first career hit -- a scorching, 107 mph single -- that laid the foundation for Julio Rodríguez’s second RBI knock, driving in the rookie second baseman. And Cal Raleigh cleared the decks with a two-run double into the right-field corner.

“I think we're just freeing things up,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “And I know that's been a point of emphasis here over the last couple of days. 'Let's free these players up. Let's talk about and really focus on what they do well, and playing to their strengths.'”

The Mariners’ nine runs were one shy of a season high, achieved twice, and the lead at that point allowed Servais to relieve Miller early after six shutout innings and just 83 pitches. In that context, it was an all-around effort -- and easily their most dominant win of the season by both production and margin of victory.

Seattle clinched a series win, its seventh straight at home, and advanced to a season-high six games above .500 (33-27). The club on Sunday will go for its first sweep since April 15-17 against Cincinnati, the first series during its home winning streak.