Kyle Seager had a three-run double on Wednesday in the Mariners’ 8-4 victory. (AP)
The Mariners were able to avoid a league game against the Chicago White Sox, after winning a sixth innings of seven runs Wednesday in Seattle 8-4.
Sailors use a 7-run innings to avoid livestock, top White Sox 8-4
However, some things that were positive and strong of the Mariners in the opening series against the Giants were against them in Chicago.
So let’s, with the first house in the books and the Mariners sit at 3-3, look at some key takeaways from this most recent series for three games.
Dominate in the zone
After the Mariners concluded their series victory over San Francisco, manager Scott Servais made it very clear what he was most excited about in his series. The takeaway was that Seattle dominated the battlefield on the hill and on the board.
That was not the case at all against a very good White Sox team.
During the three-game set, Mariners hit 37 times while drawing 11 runs. On the hill, Seattle fans hit 26 Chicago batsmen while conceding 20 runs.
It comes on the heels of Seattle with 16 runs and strikes 29 times against the Giants while recording 32 strokes to just 10 walks up the hill.
“We are proud to be in control of the strike on the hill, and we did not do that today,” Servais said after the victory on Wednesday.
In the series finale, the Mariners walked 11 batsmen. Right-handed pitcher Justin Dunn surrendered eight runs in 4 2/3 overs while allowing three runs. Four of those walks came in the fifth inning, and Dunn ended an end where Dunn retired eight of nine White Sox.
“You can not walk four guys in a row,” he said. “It’s probably going to be the end of your day.”
However, that did not take the Mariners out of the game on Wednesday as they scored eight runs to win the series and avoid the whip. But with the Seattle hits taking up nearly half of their results and Mariners pitchers struggling to throw strikes, it’s not surprising that the series has generally shown favor in Chicago’s favor.
Young beginners have some work to do
Servais stayed with Dunn, saying the pitcher’s “good was good,” but his command was good, and that led to his day ending after allowing four times in the fifth inning. Dunn also struggled with command last season and ran 31 batsmen compared to 38 hits in ten times.
Servais pointed to the spiritual side of the game in terms of where Dunn should improve after the start of Wednesday.
” Part of it is focus, ” Servais said. ‘You have to get into the strike zone, you have to be able to make adjustments in this league a little bit faster, or usually you will not get very good results. We are lucky today in this regard. ”
Dunn told reporters after the game that he had a hard time when the White Sox got runners on base and that he had to strike out. Part of that was trying to keep runners near the first base and prevent them from stealing.
“I probably put too much emphasis on controlling the running game and not executing pitches,” Dunn said.
Like his manager, Dunn was happy with his stuff, but he knows he needs to throw more strikes to be effective. Dunn’s fast ball had a better speed than last year, and his move sometimes had the White Sox.
“When it’s on the board, I get swings and misses, I get action,” Dunn said. “Show them my cap, I did not command the ball and they did a very good job.”
Dunn was not the only young Mariners starter to struggle against the White Sox, as left-winger Justus Sheffield had his problems Monday, having five innings, allowing eight hits, five runs, two runs and five runs. recorded beatings.
The White Sox hit Sheffield really hard, which he started avoiding in his ten times last season. His command was not quite at Dunn’s level, but he got behind the hits and it made him lean on his fast ball rather than on his slider. In addition, he struggled with his adjustment, which is an important pitch for right-handed victims.
Dunn and Sheffield’s struggles came after Yusei Kikuchi and Chris Flexen dominated the strike against the Giants last week. The start of the yard was a weak point for Seattle against Chicago, with Dunn and Sheffield having trouble, and James Paxton left Tuesday’s game with an injury after just 24 spots.
Dunn and Sheffield will try to bounce back when they get the ball next week. From now on, both will play against the Orioles in Baltimore.
Lineup struggles with consistency
Like the victory over Seattle on the first day, the Mariners took a big turn late in the final of the series against the White Sox, who were big in winning the team 8-4.
The sixth innings of seven runs was a welcome sight for Seattle, who penetrated the innings 4-1, not only because, well, runs are good, but because the lineup through six games actually had only three constant hits.
Obviously you’re taking six games with a grain of salt, but if you look at the Mariners score and statlines, the only three guys that Mitch Haniger, Ty France and Kyle Seager, who are first, second and third in Seattle’s series.
Haniger hits .280 with a home run and four RBIs, while France hits .318 with a home run and three RBIs. France also had what Servais called the moment of Wednesday’s match, with his 11th run he pulled in the sixth innings with two overs, which kept the innings alive.
11-step valuation post. pic.twitter.com/vthu4y4lCd
– Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) 8 April 2021
The run was especially valuable because not only did it load the base, but the next batter, Seager, hit a three-run double to give Seattle the lead. Seager hits .250 with three RBIs.
After these three, many of Seattle’s hitters’ averages are in the low .200s or even below that.
The good news for Mariners fans? Servais hopes to have Kyle Lewis of the American League of the Year 2020 back for the next homeland, which kicks off next Friday, April 16 against the Houston Astros. Lewis’ presence in the middle of the series will go a long way in extending the Mariners series and creating another threat to opponents.
Rookie Taylor Trammell’s fight stands out. It was a welcome sight when he hit a fast-track fast ball on the right field in the Mariners’ seven runs on Wednesday, but in five games (he played the first game of the White Sox series), Trammell had just two hits , two RBIs, four walks and 11 strikeouts in 21 record shows.
Dylan Moore and JP Crawford, who hit in the back half of the series, also started relatively slowly at court. Seattle will need more consistency from top to bottom of the series going forward.
One more remark: Seattle has only two home games so far, and both come Saturday in the win over the Giants.
What’s on tap?
The Mariners will hit the road for the first time in 2021 and begin a trip to Minnesota to take on the twins. The opener is on Thursday at 1:10 p.m., and coverage begins at 12:00 p.m. on 710 ESPN Seattle.
Marco Gonzales will get the start for his second appearance of the year for the Mariners, while the Twins will roll out All-Star right-hander Jose Berrios.
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