MILWAUKEE -- The Mariners came to Milwaukee searching for something they’ve spent much of this season trying to find: Consistency.
Seattle may have found at least one piece of it atop its lineup.
Brendan Donovan reached base three more times on Thursday afternoon, going 2-for-4 with a walk and two RBIs in Seattle’s 7-4 loss to the Brewers at American Family Field. The defeat dropped the Mariners to 60-68 and concluded a nine-game road trip in which they went 4-5.
But since being activated from the injured list on Aug. 4, Donovan has continued to show why his return -- especially to the leadoff spot -- could be significant down the stretch.
“He has been, since he’s been back, the on-base machine that we thought,” manager Dan Wilson said. “Getting base hits, again, not trying to do too much. Getting the ball up the middle, working his walks here and there, fighting off pitches, long at-bats.”
Donovan’s performance on Thursday offered another example.
The Mariners were staring down a six-run deficit before they had recorded their third out of the afternoon. Starting pitcher George Kirby struggled through a nightmare first inning, where Milwaukee sent 10 batters to the plate while scoring six times.
Donovan immediately helped Seattle punch back.
With two outs in the second inning, he drove a two-run double into the right-center-field gap, cutting the deficit to four runs and giving the Mariners life after a disastrous start. Seattle eventually pulled within 6-4 in the fourth before Milwaukee’s bullpen shut the door.
The comeback fell short, but Donovan’s role in it was becoming familiar.
One night earlier, he reached base four times as Seattle responded to its historic 22-0 loss to the Brewers by scoring seven runs in the first two innings of a 7-5 win. Donovan led off each of those innings by reaching base and scoring, setting the tone for exactly the kind of response the Mariners needed.
When Seattle needed another spark on Thursday, Donovan was there again.
“You look at the at-bats that he puts up, and the at-bats that Cole Young puts up,” Wilson said. “You could throw 40, 50 pitches to those two guys in that lineup, and when you’ve got that going, that’s a tough lineup.”
It’s the version of Donovan the Mariners envisioned when they acquired him from the Cardinals during the offseason, but one they haven't been able to regularly deploy due to injuries that have cost him 80 games this season.
Donovan has gradually regained form since his return from the IL. The more significant change came Saturday in Houston, when Seattle returned him to the leadoff spot.
Donovan immediately responded with three hits and three RBIs in a 10-5 win over the Astros. He then reached base four times Wednesday before adding three more trips to first base Thursday.
His skill set isn't complicated. Donovan sees pitches. He fouls off tough ones. He draws walks. He sprays the ball around the field. Most importantly, he gives the middle of Seattle’s order somebody to drive home.
“What he does at the top of the order is he gets on base,” Wilson said Wednesday. “He finds a way on with the bat. He finds a way on with a walk, and makes things happen at the top of that lineup.”
Seattle now needs to make those opportunities count.
That challenge extends beyond Donovan. The Mariners have struggled to stack wins at the exact point of the season when it matters most. Since July 21, Seattle has won consecutive games just once, on Aug. 1-2 against Minnesota. Thursday was another missed opportunity after Wednesday’s encouraging response.
“I think there’s a lot of positives to take from this road trip,” Wilson said. “We’re seeing Donovan at the top of the lineup and the impact.”
The Mariners head home to Seattle, still searching for the run that has eluded them. One bit of news that surfaced postgame Thursday may help on that front: Lefty Kade Anderson, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the game's top pitching prospect, is set to be called up, according to a source.
Anderson alone may not vault the Mariners back into postseason position, but at least now, they have an on-base machine helping them to try to start a push.