The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.)
Aug. 02—Unable to gain traction throughout the season’s first four months, the Mariners just might have found it Tuesday as they stormed into August with an 8-7 victory over the Texas Rangers.
Traction typically sprouts from big plays at big moments, which pinpoints Jarrod Dyson’s throw and Kyle Seager’s catch in the eighth inning when a second five-run lead appeared to be slipping away.
The Rangers, after trailing 5-0 and 8-3, had the trying run at first base with two outs in the form of speedy Delino DeShields, who had entered the game as a pinch-runner for Shin-Soo Choo.
Nomar Mazara flicked a soft liner into center field. Dyson had the chance to make a diving catch but did the mental calculus and chose to play the ball on a bounce even as DeShields raced toward third.
“With the game on the line,” Dyson said, “if I dive right there (and don’t catch the ball), he scores easily, and the guy who hit it (Mazara) gets to third. I just came up and made a good throw.”
A great throw. Strong and on target, it arrived a split second before DeShields came sliding head-first into third, which made for an enormously tough play for Seager to catch the ball, apply the tag and hold the ball after being jostled.
Seager did all three. The inning was over. The Mariners still had a one-run lead, which Edwin Diaz protected by blowing through the Rangers in the ninth inning.
“The play of the game was the Dyson throw at third base,” manager Scott Servais confirmed. “The pick and tag that Seager threw on DeShields was awesome. That’s tough to do.
“A big point in the game, you’ve got to make a big play to help out our pitchers once in a while. We did tonight.”
The Mariners have won four in a row. They reached the two-thirds point in their schedule at 55-53, which matches a season-best two games above .500. (They were 39-37 after a June 23 victory over Houston before losing four in a row.)
“We’re playing great baseball right now,” Dyson said. “We’ve just got to keep going. The objective is just to win every series. We know we’re not going to win every game, but we’re looking forward to winning the series for sure.”
By winning Tuesday, the Mariners clinched a series victory at Texas. They have won five of six series since returning from the All-Star break. They are also just 1 { games behind Kansas City in the American League’s final wild-card berth.
Traction.
This is what it looks like. Now…how long can the Mariners maintain it?
Three takeaways from Tuesday’s victory:
(ASTERISK)(ASTERISK)(ASTERISK)Dyson arm: Dyson always gets high marks for his speed and, on Tuesday, he stole his 200th base in 235 career attempts. That 85.1-percent success rate ranks second in MLB history among players with at least 225 attempts.
That speed is also often cited as the key element in his defensive skills. He leads the Mariners and ranks among the league leaders in the defensive WAR (wins above replacement) metric.
But the strength and accuracy of Dyson’s arm tends to go unappreciated.
“He gets rid of (the ball) very quickly,’ Servais said. “He’s got more arm strength than you think. But the accuracy is what it’s about. That’s how you throw people out. He’s done it a number of times for us this year.”
Dyson has thrown out nine runners this season, which is tied for the American League lead among outfielders. This isn’t new. Dyson has 45 career assists in eight seasons despite averaging fewer than 100 games a year.
(ASTERISK)(ASTERISK)(ASTERISK)Gallo’s bomb: Texas scored six of its seven runs Tuesday on homers. Rougned Odor hit a two-run shot for his seventh homer in his last nine games. Joey Gallo hit two home runs, including a three-run shot in the sixth inning.
But it was Gallo’s other home run that was eye-popping. It came in the fourth inning against Mariners starter Erasmo Ramirez and landed on the roof beyond the grass terrace that serves as the batter’s eye in center field.
The official distance was 456 feet, and Texas officials confirmed it was the longest home run ever hit to center field in Globe Life Park’s 24-year history.
“It was just a mistake pitch,” Ramirez said. “Right in the middle. He’s got really long arms. He just put the barrel of the bat on it in a good hitter’s count. That was just the wrong pitch to throw in that 2-0 count.”
It couldn’t have been more wrong.
(ASTERISK)(ASTERISK)(ASTERISK)Rating Erasmo: Ramirez’s final line in his first start since returning to the Mariners is deceptive: three runs (two earned) while throwing 58 pitches in 3 1/3 innings. He began the night with three scoreless innings.
Everything changed in the fourth when he gave up homers to Odor and Gallo.
“I was so happy for the first three innings,” Ramirez said. “Then it turned into something different.”
That’s not surprising. Ramirez spent the last six weeks in the Tampa Bay bullpen before the Mariners required him in a July 30 trade for veteran reliever Steve Cishek.
“I thought (Ramirez) threw the ball really well early in the game,” Servais said. “I thought his stuff was very sharp. Then he kind of hit the wall. We saw it. The ball started to get up. It just wasn’t as crisp.”
How long the Mariners keep Ramirez in their rotation remains an open question. Lefty Marco Gonzales is expected to be promoted at some point from Triple-A Tacoma. Right-hander Andrew Moore also remains a recall candidate.
Even so, Ramirez’s three strong innings at the beginning should keep him in the rotation for a Sunday start at Kansas City, when he should be conditioned for 75-80 pitches.
Bob Dutton: @TNT—Mariners
