Julio Rodriguez, Mariners rough up ex-teammate Matthew Boyd in rout of Tigers

DETROIT – Yes, Julio Rodriguez said, he does feel more relaxed hitting further down in the Mariners’ lineup. He’s had to learn how to do that the hard way these past agonizing few weeks.

His struggles at the plate have also taught him some hard-earned perspective, and for that he is appreciative.

“If you think you’re going to be successful in this game every day throughout the whole year, you’re wrong. Because this is a game of failure,” the 22-year-old center fielder said after helping the Mariners open a long road trip with a 9-2 rout of the Detroit Tigers on Friday night.

“And I feel like, to be able to handle that and to power through, that’s something that I would say I enjoy doing. Because that’s part of the game, and I love that part of the game – the struggle and then being able to come out on top.”

Rodriguez, batting third in the order for the first time this season, capped his three-hit night with a two-run home run to right field in the ninth inning. That wrapped up a rare easy night for the Mariners, who inched back to .500 at 19-19.

A sign of things to come for Rodriguez? He hopes so, obviously.

It helps, he said, that he’s been through a slump like this before.

As a rookie last year, he hit just .205 with a .544 OPS and 30 strikeouts in 73 at-bats in April. At the time, there was even some chatter about him potentially being demoted to Triple-A.

He dug himself out of that hole and went on to become the American League Rookie of the Year.

He’s confident he’ll also continue to dig himself out of this one.

“I feel like there’s a lot of people I can lean into: my teammates, the people I have in my circle, the coaches – everybody I’ve got on my side,” he said. “It’s a family here, and that’s why I’m able to say I can power through anything, because of them.”

Rodriguez was bumped out of the leadoff spot and hit sixth in the lineup during the final game of the home stand Wednesday against Texas. He went 1 for 4 with a hard-hit lineout in that game, and manager Scott Servais said it looked like a little weight had been lifted off Rodriguez’s shoulder.

On Friday, Rodriguez hit third against Detroit veteran left-hander Matthew Boyd, the ex-Mariner, and came through with a two-run single during the Mariners’ five-run second inning.

Rodriguez added a line-drive single to center in the seventh and finished with four RBIs.

“You look at where he was last year at this time – pretty similar spot,” manager Scott Servais said. “And then he caught fire and became Julio. So we’ve got a lot of season left.”

Rodriguez said he likes hitting down in the lineup because he doesn’t feel rushed to get to the plate immediately to start the game.

“It definitely feels more relaxed,” he said. “… It was a different game last year. There was no (pitch) clock. I don’t want to complain about it. I’ve got to adjust, but (moving down is) definitely something that’s given me a little more time to be myself and think about what I want to do.”

It was his first multihit game in two weeks, since going 2 for 3 at Toronto on April 28. Rodriguez came into Friday hitting just .091 (3 for 33) in May.

“Everybody’s worried about him – he’s fine,” shortstop J.P. Crawford, who had an RBI single and drew a first-inning walk in his second game as the new leadoff hitter. “Everybody goes through it. He’s in a good spot. It’s good to see him have a good night tonight. The oppo homer – that’s a good sign.”

Boyd, the Mercer Island native, didn’t make it out of the second inning, as the Mariners touched him up for six runs (five earned) in 1.1 innings before a crowd of 22,116 at Comerica Park.

Boyd, 32, loved being a part of the Mariners team that finally ended the playoff drought last season.

From the first pitch he threw Friday night, it was clear he didn’t love having to play against the Mariners.

Crawford drew a four-pitch walk to open the game and later scored on a Jarred Kelenic fielder’s choice.

In the second inning, the Mariners took advantage of Boyd’s three walks in the inning to take a 6-0 lead

Ty France extended his hitting streak to nine games with a 2 for 4 night.

The Mariners had 11 hits in total, and had more walks (five) than strikeouts (four).

That was plenty for veteran left-hander Marco Gonzales, who posted another quality start, scattering five hits and two runs over six innings.

“Our game plan going in was just to be all over the zone,” Gonzales said. “If anything, getting a big lead like that just emphasizes that even more. Just pitching downhill, attacking them, and I thought we did a great job with first-pitch strikes.”

Jake Rogers’ two-run homer in the fifth was the only scoring for the Tigers (17-20).