Inside The Mariners

Seattle Mariners Take Advantage of Defensive Miscues in Win Against Houston Astros

The Seattle Mariners kept their season and playoff chances afloat and took the series with an 8-1 win against the Houston Astros on Wednesday.

Teren Kowatsch

Seattle Mariners first baseman Justin Turner hits a two-RBI single during a game against the Houston Astros on Wednesday at Minute Maid Park.
Seattle Mariners first baseman Justin Turner hits a two-RBI single during a game against the Houston Astros on Wednesday at Minute Maid Park. / Erik Williams-Imagn Images
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If the Seattle Mariners do miss the playoffs, a lot of the focus will be placed on what they didn't do. Especially during the last two road trips. But if they do, fans can point to Wednesday's game as a reason why the Mariners are playing in October.

Seattle beat the Houston Astros 8-1 on Wednesday. The win gave the Mariners the series win and improved their season record to 82-77.

Seattle was locked with the Minnesota Twins at two games behind the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals for the final two American League Wild Card spots after the game concluded.

For the first half of the game, it seemed like it would be a repeat of another poor offensive performance from Seattle that was the defining characteristic for a lot of the team's woes this season.

Despite a quality start from Mariners starter George Kirby (6 IP, four hits, one earned run, one walk, six strikeouts), Houston owned a 1-0 lead going into the sixth.

The Astros pulled ahead after Victor Caratini hit an RBI single in the bottom of the third.

But Houston was sitting several of its top players due to clinching the AL West title on Tuesday. Alex Bregman started the game in his usual spot at third base but was subbed out by Shay Whitcomb after just two at-bats for the former.

That substitution ended up being the catalyst for Seattle's comeback.

Before Whitcomb's series of flounders on the hot corner, Justin Turner hit a two-RBI single in the top of the sixth to pull the Mariners ahead 2-1. That hit extended the 39-year old's on-base streak to 20 games — the longest active streak in the league.

Mitch Garver bolstered Seattle's lead one inning later with a solo home run to left center field.

That wasn't the end of the Mariners' scoring in the seventh.

Whitcomb's defensive snafus at third base began when he failed to field the ball cleanly on a fielder's choice hit by Victor Robles. JP Crawford scored on that bobble.

In the same inning, Whitcomb couldn't bring the ball in again and was dinged with an error that resulted in Julio Rodriguez reaching base safely.

Whitcomb's second error of the inning came on a Randy Arozarena grounder. Whitcomb botched the throw to first and Robles scored.

After the end of the seventh — the Mariners led 5-1.

In the top of the ninth, Whitcomb's third error of the game — a sailed throw to first base — brought Dylan Moore to second. Robles scored Moore with an RBI double one at-bat later.

Rodriguez capped off the game in the same inning with a two-run homer to left center field. With that hit, he became just the second player ever to start off their career with three straight 20-home run, 20-steal seasons (Kansas City's Bobby Witt Jr. being the other). That hit also gave Seattle the eventual final of 8-1.

The Mariners still need a huge assist from other teams to make the playoffs. After their game ended on Thursday, the Royals, Tigers and Twins all were still yet to play.

Seattle will have an off day on Thursday. If both Detroit and Kansas City win on Wednesday and Thursday, the Mariners will be eliminated. If either team wins two more games from now to the end of the season, Seattle will be without a postseason berth for the 22nd time in 23 years.

The Mariners are in miracle mode now. Banking on the Tigers to go 1-4 in their remaining five games is not realistic with how they've been playing. But banking on the Royals, who snapped a seven-game losing streak on Tuesday, to go 1-4 is. And if Kansas City does that, Seattle wins out and the Twins do no better than 3-2 the rest of the way, then the Mariners are in.

There's a lot of "ifs" still remaining with four days left in the regular season. Maybe too many for the Mariners. But less likely things have happened. And maybe the improbable happens again.

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Teren Kowatsch

TEREN KOWATSCH

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