Gonzales ends W drought in homecoming

It had been 96 days since April 15, the last time that Mariners starter Marco Gonzales had earned a win. During that time, he had been on the injured list with a left forearm strain and welcomed his daughter into the world.

Gonzales had also gained valuable perspective in the three weeks since returning from paternity leave.

Pitching in front of roughly 100 friends and family members on Tuesday night, Gonzales, a Fort Collins, Colo., native, earned his second win of the season as the Mariners claimed a 6-4 series-opening victory over the Rockies at Coors Field.

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“I had a baby, and that put life into perspective a lot. And there's a lot bigger things than wins and losses, to be honest,” Gonzales said. “So I just kept working. My teammates, I know they got my back, and just trying to stay the course.

“Like I said, life is a lot bigger than baseball. It's hard to get disappointed when you come home to a newborn, to be honest.”

The left-hander pitched like the Gonzales of old -- the one who led Rocky Mountain High School to four straight Colorado Class 5A state championships from 2007-10, earning the win in the title game each of those years. And the one who was rewarded by the Mariners with a four-year contract extension in '20.

Gonzales held his own at hitter-friendly Coors Field, tossing five innings of two-run ball and helping the Mariners improve to seven games over .500 at 51-44.

“It's just a really special thing to be able to come back here, pitch in front of my family,” Gonzales said. “It’s something that feels very right.”

Despite some first-inning nerves -- and the ones that come with the opportunity to bat in a National League ballpark -- Gonzales honed in, generating nine whiffs and 15 called strikes in a start he can build on moving forward.

“The key to tonight's game was really Marco Gonzales, no question about it,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “He got us off to a good start. ... The objective was to give us a chance to win the game. And that's exactly what he did, he did his job.”

Gonzales’ effort was backed by a big night for rookie catcher Cal Raleigh, Seattle's No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline. Raleigh recorded his first walk, his first hit, his first extra-base knock and his first pair of RBIs.

“I mean, I'd be lying to you if I told you I wasn't thinking about it or it wasn't on my mind,” Raleigh said of his first hit. “But I knew it was going to come, and I had hit some balls hard. Luckily, I got one to drop in the fourth inning.”

After Gonzales allowed a two-run homer to Connor Joe in the fifth, the Mariners rallied back a half-inning later. Raleigh's two-run double helped fuel Seattle's four-run, five-hit rally in the sixth, with Dylan Moore's two-run homer giving it a 4-2 lead.

“It was awesome to do that,” Raleigh said. “Obviously, Marco just gave up a two-spot, we were down, playing the game. Any chance you come up big for your team is always a good thing. So I took advantage of the first pitch, I hit it and it worked out good.”

Ty France padded the Mariners' lead in the seventh, providing a pair of key insurance runs on a two-run double. It also marked France's fourth straight multi-hit game.

“That’s what he does,” Servais said. “Doesn’t try to overdo it, overcook it -- whatever you want to call it. He just stays within himself and tries to get a pitch he can handle. He stays on the offspeed pitch just as good as anybody we have.”

As Seattle looks to cement itself firmly into the postseason conversation, wins like this, as well as additional perspective from its veterans, could help carry it along.