Raleigh leads big offensive night as Mariners look for strong finish

ANAHEIM -- Driven by deep counts and disciplined plate appearances, the Mariners broke open a tight game to defeat the Angels, 7-2, on Wednesday night, avoiding a three-game sweep at Angel Stadium.

Rather than relying on the long ball, the Mariners created distance by putting constant pressure on the Angels' pitching staff and taking advantage of defensive mistakes.

"I thought offensively, pretty good approach, [seeing] as many pitches as we did there in the first inning," manager Dan Wilson said. "We were showing a lot of patience, getting a lot of runners on base. ... Lots of traffic, opportunities. We took advantage of a couple of their mishaps, too, which is always big."

Seattle set the tone early by capitalizing on Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi's command issues. Kikuchi, making his second start since returning from the injured list on Aug. 23, threw 37 pitches in the opening frame as back-to-back singles from J.P. Crawford and Randy Arozarena, followed by a Dominic Canzone walk, loaded the bases. Cal Raleigh brought home Crawford on a sacrifice fly before Josh Naylor followed with a two-out RBI single to grab a 2-0 lead.

The patience paid off again in the fifth, when Raleigh broke a 2-2 tie with an RBI double before a Vaughn Grissom throwing error brought in two more. Raleigh capped his three-RBI performance in the sixth with a single that stretched the lead to 7-2.

"[We] wanted to get on the fastball, wanted to make him get deep in counts," Raleigh said of his team’s approach against Kikuchi. "I thought we drew some good walks today, took our hits, moved some runners. ... A good all-around offensive production tonight."

While the offense manufactured runs without a homer, George Kirby had an unusual night on the mound. Renowned for strike-zone control, Kirby walked a career-high five batters -- a total he estimated he hadn't reached since he was 12 years old -- and loaded the bases in both the first and second innings. He also gave the dugout a scare in the second, slipping on the wet grass while fielding a bunt attempt by Josh Lowe before being cleared by a trainer to stay in.

"I felt really good. [But] I was having a little issue with the mound," Kirby said. "Sliding in the grass, [it] was wet. … That stuff shouldn't really bother me, but got in my head a little bit tonight. … I just know I haven't really been feeling like myself lately. I feel really good out there, and then I just don’t play like George Kirby. … So it's just been frustrating. But, really glad we got a win tonight."

Despite all those free passes, none of the five walked batters came around to score.

"I feel like most of the time [when] you walk [the] leadoff guy, he ends up finding a way to score," Kirby said. "I'm super happy that no one scored for those walks -- I’ve just got to command better and do a better job."

Kirby ended his night holding the Angels to two runs through 4 1/3 innings before handing off a two-on, one-out threat in the fifth.

Enter Carlos Vargas.

Reinstated from the injured list on Aug. 21 after missing most of the season with a right lat strain, Vargas gave up a single to load the bases before dialing up back-to-back swinging strikeouts of Lowe and Christian Moore to extinguish the threat.

"Vargas did a great job coming in behind me," Kirby said. "He looked nasty there. He got a lot of good swings and misses when he needed to."

"Vargy, he was out there for a while," Wilson added. "And so, for him, I think being able to use his cutter and slider a little bit more, and then use that sinker effectively, I think has been a big key for him."

While a single win won't change the standings, it backed up what Logan Gilbert pointed out Tuesday night regarding the final stretch -- that the job remains the same: show up and try to win every game. With nine games left on the schedule, the Mariners now take that approach on the road to Denver for a three-game series against the Rockies as they continue their final road trip of the season.

"I think we all want to finish strong, whatever that looks like," Wilson said. "And tonight is a step in that direction. I thought offensively we did a lot of really good things tonight, and that we can build on and keep moving forward."