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.
Seattle set the tone in the opening frame, forcing Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi to throw 37 pitches. Kikuchi, making his second home start since returning from the injured list on Aug. 23, struggled with command early. J.P. Crawford and Randy Arozarena kicked things off with back-to-back groundball singles before a Dominic Canzone walk loaded the bases. Cal Raleigh brought home Crawford on a sacrifice fly to left, and Josh Naylor followed with a two-out RBI groundball single through the right side to grab a quick 2-0 lead.
After the Angels matched with single runs in the first and second innings, Seattle's patience paid off again in the top of the fifth. Consecutive one-out walks by Arozarena and Canzone set up Raleigh, who ripped a sharp RBI double down the left-field line to break the tie. After an intentional walk to Julio Rodríguez, Naylor reached on a fielder's choice when a throwing error by Angels first baseman Vaughn Grissom allowed both Canzone and Raleigh to score, extending the Mariners' cushion to 5-2.
Seattle added insurance in the top of the sixth after Crawford reached on a forceout and advanced on a passed ball and wild pitch. Canzone then grounded an RBI single past third baseman Denzer Guzman to score Crawford. Raleigh followed with his second RBI hit of the night, lining a single to left to push the lead to 7-2.
On the mound, George Kirby worked through his outing to keep Seattle in front. Kirby battled through command issues early, walking five batters and loading the bases in both the first and second innings. He also gave the bench a quick scare in the second after slipping on a bunt attempt by Josh Lowe, though he was checked by a trainer and remained in the game.
Kirby allowed two earned runs on five hits with five strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings before handing the ball over to the bullpen. Carlos Vargas entered in the bottom of the fifth with two runners on and promptly gave up a single to Guzman to load the bases, but Vargas induced back-to-back swinging strikeouts of Lowe and Christian Moore to extinguish the Angels' biggest threat of the night.
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.