BOSTON -- Peer at the stat sheet from the Mariners’ 8-3 win over the Red Sox on Wednesday afternoon, and it paints the picture of another offensive breakout.
Seattle strung together 12 hits -- none of which cleared the fence -- and were in the driver’s seat all afternoon.
The Mariners took two of three games against a Red Sox team that looks bound for October, and perhaps more notable, they did so after suffering one of their most demoralizing losses of the year in the series opener on Monday.
“Everyone knows what’s at stake right now,” said J.P. Crawford, who had three hits and one walk on Wednesday. “We've got to go. We can't lose games, and this series was really good for us. Hopefully, that turns the page and gets us going.”
Yet, a closer look at the box score would reveal that a bevy of bullpen arms were deployed despite the lopsided score. Moreover, Bryce Miller surrendered just one earned run among the 21 batters he faced upon his return to the rotation after a 10-day hiatus.
His final line illustrated Seattle’s greater strategy at play, specifically for manager Dan Wilson. As the calendar flipped to September, Wilson has shown bolder bullpen management these past two days than he has all year.
Such are the times -- and the stakes -- in Seattle’s season, as the club sits at 66-74 with its playoff hopes dwindling.
Wilson gave Miller an early hook after 4 2/3 innings and at just 65 pitches. Even more telling, it came with the cushion of a 4-1 lead.
“We were going to be aggressive, no question,” Wilson said. “As we know, things happen here quickly, and I think we just felt like it was a situation where we could go to [José A. Ferrer] there. ... And then we were able to kind of open it up a little bit more after that, which really helped save the bullpen later on.”
Miller had just induced a forceout from Ceddanne Rafaela that came short of an inning-ending double play. Yet, with the right-hander facing Boston’s lineup the third time through and lefty-hitting Wilyer Abreu due up, Wilson went to southpaw Ferrer in the fifth inning.
It wasn’t exactly a jam, as Rafaela was on first base and there were two outs. Ferrer then gave up a double to Abreu that put both runners in scoring position before getting out of it. But in the sixth, the Mariners plated their second four-spot of the day, allowing Wilson to use his lower-leverage arms the rest of the way.
Following Ferrer were Michael Rucker (who went two innings), Seranthony Domínguez and Cooper Criswell. And when the dust settled, the Mariners won behind Miller for the first time since July 2 -- snapping an 0-8 stretch.
“It feels normal for me. I've started my whole career,” Miller said. “So, I'm not putting any extra pressure on each individual start ... just go out and try to do my job the best I can.”
Miller's early hook came less than 24 hours after Wilson went to Andrés Muñoz with one out in the ninth to close out a 9-6 win, immediately after September callup Hoby Milner gave up a towering two-run homer to Jahmai Jones.
In a 24-hour span, Wilson has shifted.
“There’s a lot of things you take into consideration, and last night was obviously a big game for us, especially coming back after the first one and the series in Toronto,” Wilson said. “So, definitely needed that one.
“But that is more of the mindset as you go down September here. We have to be aggressive, and we are chasing, to some point. But we've got to be able to stay in those games, and want to be able to bring them home.”
What stood out about the aggressiveness was that the Mariners still have four games before their next off-day, albeit against the last-place Athletics. They also had their longest charter flight of the season after departing Fenway on Wednesday night, with an expected arrival in Seattle around midnight PT.
That, and rookie Kade Anderson will take the mound on Thursday. He will be starting after five days of rest for the first time since being drafted in 2024 and with the 80-pitch threshold the club has set for him.
Thus, there’s a good chance the Mariners’ bullpen will be leaned on again heavily in Thursday’s series opener vs. the A’s at T-Mobile Park.