J-Rod's HR, quality start from Kirby deliver series victory over rival

SEATTLE -- The Mariners played to all of the superlatives they display when they’re at their best on Saturday, running away to what was shaping up to be their most complete win of the year before the Rangers made things interesting at the end.

Seattle had a six-run lead going into the ninth then all of a sudden faced Corey Seager as the go-ahead run after low-leverage reliever Eduard Bazardo surrendered four hits and a bases-loaded walk. That forced Mariners manager Scott Servais to turn to Ryne Stanek, who overcame a two-run single from Marcus Semien and shut the door -- thanks to a stellar defensive play from rookie first baseman Tyler Locklear.

So, when the dust settled, Seattle held on to a 7-5 win over the Rangers that secured their ninth straight series win at T-Mobile Park.

The Mariners continued to flex their firm grasp on the American League West, advancing to a 7 1/2-game lead over second-place Texas and to 11 games above .500 for the first time this season (42-31).

Some factors for their success:

• They were at home, where they’re now 26-12.
• They scored first, advancing to 33-11 when doing so.
• They scored at least four runs, moving to 32-5 when plating that many.
• They homered, and are now 34-18 when going deep.
• And they were playing a division rival, as they’re now a dominant 16-5 vs. the AL West.

Beyond the statistical highlights, here are three keys to the Mariners’ victory on Saturday -- and against the Rangers this season.

Getting Julio going

Julio Rodríguez crushed a 412-foot homer in the third inning that shifted the momentum in the Mariners’ favor. In a 1-2 count, with Josh Rojas on first base and after calling for a timeout, Seattle’s star center fielder sat all over a middle-and-up cutter from Nathan Eovaldi and launched it 106.4 mph off his bat and into the T-Mobile bullpen.

Rodríguez has homered in two of his past three games and seven overall in 2024, continuing an upward trend in the power department. He went deep just twice in his first 52 games but has now homered five times in the 21 games since, with a .463 slugging percentage in June.

“I just love the fact he pulled the ball in the air,” Servais said. “I think with that pitch this year, we have seen him right on it and just miss it or pop it up probably at least 10 times. And he didn't miss it.”

Seattle built its lineup with the intention of Rodríguez being its primary run producer, and the construction looks vastly different with him playing at that potential.

Riding Kirby’s hot hand

Luis Castillo might be Seattle’s ace, but George Kirby has been their best pitcher against the Rangers, as the Mariners are now 7-0 for his career when he takes the mound against them. He carries a 1.30 ERA vs. the division rival.

Kirby surrendered just one unearned run on Saturday, via a down-the-line double to Semien in the fifth, which scored Ezequiel Duran, who hit a one-out single. Other than those knocks, Kirby surrendered one additional hit -- also a single -- from Wyatt Langford, with one out in the fourth, which didn’t clear the infield and was Texas’ first hit of the afternoon.

He punctuated his outing by striking out the side in the sixth, which accounted for half of his six strikeouts -- all via fastballs, and all over 96 mph, to Adolis García, Nathaniel Lowe and Langford, the heart of Texas’ order.

“I was spraying a little bit, and those two walks are annoying,” Kirby said. “But I dialed it in when I needed to.”

Keeping Seager at bay

Among Kirby’s victims was Corey Seager, who fell to a career 0-for-13 against Kirby after going 0-for-5 overall on Saturday -- including the final out. Seager saw his 30-game on-base streak -- the longest active streak in MLB -- come to an end.

And no, Kirby didn’t need his back-pocket knuckleball to buckle Seager this time, as he did in the final game of last season.

The two-time and reigning World Series MVP is now hitless in 20 plate appearances against the Mariners this season, a stark contrast to his dominance a year ago, when he hit .361 with a 1.133 OPS and essentially bullied them all year.

“He's a tremendous player, an MVP-type player and you really have to execute pitches over and over and over again,” Servais said. “He's really aggressive at the plate and it works in his favor most of the time. But you just cannot let your guard down.”

Seager’s success in 2023 was a huge reason why the Rangers went 9-4 against the Mariners, and it’s no coincidence that his lack of production in '24 is why the Mariners are now 4-1 against them this season.