Mariners sweep Texas to extend win streak to 14, enter All-Star break a win away franchise record
ARLINGTON, Texas – Maybe the Seattle Mariners can wrangle up a game against Class AAA Tacoma in the next few days. Or maybe they should head to Peoria and line up some intrasquad action.
The Mariners need to do whatever they can to keep the mojo they have going during the All-Star break.
Seattle kept its historic winning streak intact Sunday by easing past Texas 6-2 to run its streak to 14 games. The mark matches Atlanta for the longest win streak in the majors this season and is one shy of the club record of 15 set by 2001’s 116-win team.
“This group is a special group,” said Seattle manager Scott Servais, whose team has now swept four straight series. “We are riding some kind of momentum high right now. This is what baseball is supposed to be. The stretch we’re in, I don’t think anyone will ever forget it. What a way to end the first half. Unbelievable job by our pitching staff, the bullpen, the starters, everybody has chipped in along the way. This has been some kind of ride.”
A historic one.
The streak is the longest by any team going into the All-Star break in major league history. Only three other teams have ever gone into the All-Star break winning at least 10-straight games, and all three won the pennant.
Seattle trailed 1-0 Sunday, which has been rare for the Mariners recently. Sunday’s win improved them to 17-30 when opponents score first. Texas also should have been buoyed by the Mariners starting Chris Flexen on three days’ rest.
But Flexen limited Texas to just one run on a solo homer from Marcus Semien. Seattle got Flexen off the hook when Cal Raleigh lined a Glenn Otto pitch to right in the top of the fourth for a two-run homer to put Seattle up 2-1. It was Raleigh’s 13th homer of the season, the most by any catcher in the American League.
That homer sparked the offense, as Ty France, who was named to the All-Star team before the game, hit a solo homer in the fifth. Fellow All-Star Julio Rodriguez got into the action two innings later with a two-run double. Seattle’s All-Star duo accounted for four of the 10 Seattle hits and combined for four RBI.
France had two hits, and his 28 multihit games are the most on the club. The game was part of a whirlwind day for France, who found out 30 minutes before the game he’d be replacing the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout at the All-Star Game. He’ll do so as part of the hottest team in baseball.
“It’s a tough one,” France said of the four off days for the Mariners during the streak. “I think it will be good for us to kind of let our bodies recover. There are a lot of guys in that locker room who play every day, who are playing hurt and banged up. These next couple of days will be good for them to recover, and hopefully we can keep it going.”
The offensive support was more than enough for the Mariners bullpen, which like every other aspect of the team, has been locked in. Five Seattle pitchers combined for 51/3 innings of one-run work. Ryan Borucki (2-0) picked up the win with 11/3 hitless innings.
Flexen, who had won his last four starts, was hoping to pitch at least five innings. While he didn’t get there as he struggled with his command, he knew the bullpen would back him up.
“We’re playing great baseball,” Flexen said. “Our pitching’s been great. Our bullpen’s been great. This offense has been unbelievable putting up the run support they have. It’s been all-around quality baseball. We just need to keep it going.”
In Seattle’s 22-3 stretch that has put it into the playoff picture, its relievers are 10-0 with a 1.49 ERA. It should come as no surprise that it’s the best mark in baseball in that stretch.
While Rodriguez and France won’t have as much time off as the other Mariners, Servais is confident his team can keep the magic going when they begin a series against American League West-leading Houston on Friday.
“We need a break,” Servais said. “It’s hard to say you need a break when you win 14 games in a row. Our pen, the guys are gassed right now. Getting four days off will help. We’re coming back, and we’re looking forward to that homestand.”