Ben Williamson states his case as Mariners knock off Athletics

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The life of Ben Williamson is complicated right now.

For the better part of a month, every analyst and pundit and rumor has centered on the Mariners looking to make potential upgrades at Williamson’s spot on the diamond.

And during that stretch, Williamson has continued to be mostly spectacular in the field and serviceable – but not powerful – at the plate.

At some point over the next few days, this will all come to a head and some type of decision will be made. Either a move will be made to add at third base and Williamson will lose his role, or some other decision will be made and Williamson will move ahead as the M’s option at the position.

A game like Monday night only adds to the complicated feelings. Williamson had two hits, including a double, scored once and made three spectacular plays in the field as the M’s beat the Athletics 3-1 at Sutter Health Park in the opener of a three-game series.

Williamson is such an interesting case depending on how you weigh his value. Defensively, he’s one of the elite third basemen in the league this year. Offensively, he entered Monday with a .596 OPS, the second-lowest among regular third basemen in the majors.

What’s more valuable to this Mariners team?

More doubles would certainly help, like the one he hit leading off the fifth inning. He scored two batters later when Cal Raleigh dumped a single into left field for a 3-0 M’s lead.

It was just the fifth RBI for Raleigh since June 17 that didn’t come via a home run. During that span, Raleigh has driven in 22 runs via the home run, three on singles and two on sacrifice flies.

The seemingly mandatory homer the M’s hit every win came from Josh Naylor, his first since being acquired last week from Arizona. Naylor hit the first pitch of the second inning 405 feet onto the berm in right field for his 12th homer of the season. He also scored the M’s second run in the fourth inning after leading off with a single, stealing second, advancing to third on a throwing error and scoring on Mitch Garver’s sacrifice fly.

Naylor has four stolen bases in four games after registering 11 in 93 games with Arizona.

Williamson’s defense also helped Luis Castillo pitch seven innings of one-run ball and helped Matt Brash escape a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning.

Williamson’s diving grab of Brent Rooker’s line drive in the fourth inning looked cool but it was his stop on Rooker’s ground ball in the sixth inning that was a truly astounding play.

It was the only inning the A’s scored after Luis Urias was hit by a pitch and Nick Kurtz singled to put runners at the corners with one out. The one run might have become two and maybe more if not for Williamson’s off-balance stop on Rooker’s ground ball behind third base.

Williamson was able to get a throw off to second in time for the force out and Castillo got out of the inning when Shea Langeliers struck out.

In the eighth, Brash entered with two outs after Gabe Speier allowed a walk, but Brash gave up a single to Rooker and walked Langeliers to load the bases.

Tyler Soderstrom punched a grounder that appeared destined for left field, but Williamson made a diving backhanded stop and beat Rooker to third base to end the inning.

Andrés Muñoz pitched the ninth for his 24th save.

Castillo alternated his performances in July between terrific and OK. He gave up a career-high tying 10 hits his last time out against Milwaukee, but limited the A’s to just five hits and one run.

It was the fourth time this season Castillo pitched seven complete. In those four starts, he’s allowed a combined three earned runs in 28 innings pitched. Castillo struck out four and didn’t issue a walk.

Crawford’s day off

J.P. Crawford got his first day off – minus the All-Star break – since June 18 for Monday’s series opener.

It looked like it was needed.

The past week has been rather miserable for Crawford at the plate, stuck in a 1 for 30 slump (.033). He did have a home run robbed on Sunday in Anaheim, but only having one hit over the seven-game stretch was compounded by the M’s leadoff hitter also walking only once during that stretch.

Before the slump, Crawford picked up a hit in 16 of the previous 17 games and had an OPS of .835 during that stretch.

“I thought yesterday when he drove that ball in center field, that’s when J.P. is at his best. He’s staying more middle of field and driving the ball that direction. We’ve seen him pick up a ton of hits the other way and that’s when he’s at his best,” M’s manager Dan Wilson said. “It was good to see that yesterday and now a chance today to catch his breath a little bit and then come back at it tomorrow.”

Sitting Crawford meant putting Dylan Moore in the lineup at shortstop, who is in an even worse slump. Moore entered Monday 2 for his last 55 (.036) with 30 strikeouts.

On the farm

The Mariners picked up three player of the week honors among their minor league affiliates Monday.

Tacoma’s Tyler Locklear was named the Pacific Coast League player of the week and Casey Lawrence was named pitcher of the week. Locklear had a stretch last week where reached base in 11 straight plate appearances and was 9 for 9 with four home runs and nine RBI during that stretch.

Lawrence threw a complete-game two-hitter last week against Round Rock, just the second complete game in all of Triple-A baseball this season.

Everett outfielder Tai Peete was also named the Northwest League player of the week after batting .333 with three homers and seven RBI in six games.