Mariners salvage win vs. Yankees to keep slim playoff hopes alive

SEATTLE – For at least one more day, the Seattle Mariners can maintain the stubborn hope they can somehow find their way into Major League Baseball’s postseason.

That path is anything but straight and highly reliant on others getting sidetracked or stumbling in the final 10 days of the 2024 season, but the possibility remains within reach.

Less than 24 hours after a crushing extra-innings loss that allowed the New York Yankees to wildly celebrate clinching their spot in the playoffs, the Mariners came out on a bright Thursday afternoon at T-Mobile Park and took advantage of their opponents’ tired eyes and groggy heads, scoring early and holding on for a much-needed 3-2 victory.

With the Minnesota Twins losing to the Cleveland Guardians for a second straight day and falling to 80-73 on the season, Seattle (78-76) sits two games back for the third wild-card spot. But the situation isn’t quite that simple. The surging Detroit Tigers, who had Thursday off, are also 80-73 and now tied with the Twins for that wild-card spot.

And really, the Mariners sit three games back of both since they lost the season series to both the Twins and Tigers.

But there is hope.

“I don’t think we’re paying too much attention about what’s ahead in terms of the standings,” M’s manager Dan Wilson said. “I think we’re looking at what we need to do each night, each day. Today, we needed to pick up a win. We did.”

The Mariners embark on their final road trip of the season – a six-game trip through Texas. It starts with a weekend series against the Rangers at Globe Life Field, followed by what could be a massive three-game series with the Astros at Minute Maid Park. They will return home for the final three games of the season against the A’s.

“We’ve got a nine-game sprint, and we’re just going to do what it takes each night to win a ballgame,” Wilson said. “And then we’ll look up at the end and see where we find ourselves.”

Seattle scored three runs in the first inning off Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt, but it couldn’t add another run the rest of the way despite multiple opportunities.

But M’s starter Logan Gilbert and relievers J.T. Chargois, Troy Taylor, Trent Thornton and Andrés Muñoz made them hold up over the next eight innings.

“Today was an outstanding rebound,” Wilson said. “The three runs in the first were huge.”

Seattle loaded the bases off Schmidt almost immediately. Julio Rodriguez led off with a single. Randy Arozarena worked a one-out walk and Luke Raley dropped down a perfect bunt for a single.

The Mariners knew they were getting a run when Justin Turner hit a routine fly ball to deep left for what was expected to be a sacrifice fly. But Yankees left fielder Jasson Dominguez dropped the ball, allowing Rodriguez to race home. Seattle had a run without a second out being recorded.

The Mariners took advantage of the extra out with the bases still loaded. Jorge Polanco hit a sac fly to right field to allow Arozarena score. J.P. Crawford made it 3-0, punching an RBI single through the left side.

“He said he didn’t see it well at all,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of the Dominguez error.

“It was costly, but he just did not pick it up well at all at any point. Tough sky at that time. The sun field is there, but obviously it’s a play we’ve got to make.”

The Mariners got a gritty effort from Gilbert, who was moved up a day to pitch the series finale.

“I felt like it was a big game, big series,” he said. “Obviously, it’s good team over there, and every game matters a ton for us, so we really needed to win today. I just tried to give us a chance. I felt like the whole team played really well on both sides of the ball.”

Gilbert battled through 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits with two walks and nine strikeouts.

He didn’t work a single clean inning, having to work around a steady stream of base runners. But he was able to come up with key strikeouts and get a little help from his defense to work out of situations.

“I felt like it was good for me to show that with runners on base most innings, finding a way to get out of it and strand runners,” Gilbert said. “It’s something I definitely want to be good at. That stuff matters a lot.”

Gilbert got a little help with the base runners from Raley, who made a beautiful throw home from right field to get Dominguez at the plate on Anthony Volpe’s two-out single.”

“You don’t know it at the time, but it ended up being a bigger throw and moment in the game than you initially anticipated,” Raley said.

When Gilbert struck out Giancarlo Stanton to end the third inning, it gave him 200 strikeouts for the season. He became just the ninth pitcher in team history to reach that milestone. The most recent was Luis Castillo in 2023 and Robbie Ray in 2022.

His two runs allowed came in the third inning. With two outs and the Mariners leading 3-0, Gilbert gave up a two-out single to Aaron Judge. Jazz Chisholm took advantage of a fastball that stayed up and in the middle of the plate, launching a fly ball over the wall in right field for his 23rd homer of the season.

But Gilbert wouldn’t give in, he worked the next two inning scoreless and even gave a glare over to the Yankees dugout after striking out Gleyber Torres to end the fourth inning.

“It’s just a competitive game,” Gilbert said of his reaction. “They’re obviously a really good team. I have a lot of respect for them. I think I was hearing stuff during the game, but honestly, I’m not sure where it was coming from, if it was the bench or their fans in the first row or whatever. Just the heat of the moment.”

Gilbert started the sixth inning and retired Anthony Rizzo. But with his pitch count at 97, he was lifted for Chargois, who closed out the inning.

Taylor, Thornton and Muñoz each worked scoreless innings in relief.