WEST SACRAMENTO -- And just like that, the Mariners have found themselves in first place, a standing that’s eluded them all season despite the sky-high expectations they set for themselves way back in Spring Training.
After a commanding 9-1 win over the A’s on Wednesday afternoon at Sutter Health Park, Seattle sits atop the American League West.
The only path to reach that perch was by sweeping the very club that was ahead of it in the divisional standings. And the Mariners did so in dominant fashion this week, capping a road trip that began on an incredibly sour note in Kansas City.
Logan Gilbert cruised to his 50th career win with six dominant innings, Julio Rodríguez and Rob Refsnyder each clubbed three-run homers and Colt Emerson roped his first career triple for two more runs.
“This is as good as we've played all season long, and as consistent as we've been,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “And again, it's all parts of the game.”
The number that told the story of this series was +18, which was the Mariners’ run differential over the A’s after they outscored them, 22-4.
That metric is typically best assessed in volume, but the massive gap in such a short stint spoke to how well-rounded Seattle’s contributions were. For context, the Mariners entered this week with a +6 run differential on the season and head home to face the D-backs at +24.
It illustrates how their pitching and hitting were maybe the best they’ve been -- at least in tandem -- in any of their 18 series this season. The arms had a combined 1.33 ERA this week, while the bats put together 10 or more hits in all three games (as well as Sunday’s loss in Kansas City).
Adding to the collective performance was how much they also suppressed the up-and-coming A’s, who might still be a few arms away from being legitimate contenders but nonetheless have plenty of power hitters primed for their hitter-friendly ballpark.
The A’s entered this series with a .394 slugging percentage that ranked eighth-best in MLB but were held to a .299 clip over these three games. Most glaringly, the Mariners silenced all-world slugger Nick Kurtz, who ended a 48-game on-base streak on Tuesday before being held to 0-for-4 on Wednesday, with two strikeouts against Gilbert.
For those watching closely, Gilbert had a noticeable uptick in velocity on Wednesday, with his four-seam fastball up by an average of 1.1 mph (to 96.4 mph)
“I've been trying to get there, honestly, and felt like I've been throwing the ball well at times,” Gilbert said. “I just didn't quite have that velo. But to see it today, honestly, like, answered prayers.”
On the offensive side, the Mariners were forced to alter their gameplanning strategy when the A’s made last-minute changes to install left-handed starters, with Jeffrey Springs bumped up for the finale.
For the series, the Mariners went 19-for-57 (.333) against southpaws (including relievers) -- headlined by Refsnyder’s big homer in the finale. They had hit lefties an MLB-worst .190 clip entering this week.
“I don't blame them,” said Refsnyder, who was signed to mash lefties but has struggled to a .117 batting average against them. “We haven't been very good against lefties. I haven't really done my job up to this point, so yeah, I get it. But it was a great series for us. We're in first place. Hopefully, we just keep it rolling.”
Refsnyder revealed postgame that he’s been dealing with significant limitations to his right knee for most of the year but is getting to a more palatable place.
“Some mechanical breakdowns came from some of that stuff, so kudos to the medical team for kind of pinpointing some stuff,” Refsnyder said.
First place at this time of year doesn’t mean much. Yet, Memorial Day -- which was Monday -- is typically the benchmark that the sport begins to look more legitimately at the standings.
Seattle (28-29) is certainly benefiting from playing in arguably the weakest division, the only one in baseball with a first-place team under .500. Speaking of, climbing into the green would be the next step, a place the club hasn’t been since it was 3-2 March 30.
Because although this was a promising three-day stretch, the reality for a team that’s struggled to take a commanding lead of the division is that it needs to do so over a far more prolonged stretch. But this dominant week in West Sacramento could certainly be a springboard to sustained success.