SEATTLE -- The Mariners are on the cusp of being at full strength health-wise, which made the abrupt departure of Trade Deadline acquisition Josh Naylor with left shoulder soreness on Thursday afternoon more alarming.
But they were at least able to celebrate a series sweep by eking out a 4-3 walk-off win over the White Sox in 11 innings after Naylor exited at T-Mobile Park, which pushed Seattle to 1 1/2 games behind Houston for first place in the American League West. And Naylor is only considered day to day.
Dominic Canzone ripped a one-out single off lefty reliever Brandon Eisert through the right-side hole in the 11th inning, which allowed automatic runner Eugenio Suárez to race all the way home from second base and narrowly avoid the tag attempt by catcher Edgar Quero.
“He's not trying to hit the ball out of the ballpark,” manager Dan Wilson said. “That's not what we needed. He was able to get kind of the perfect hit.”
That Canzone was even at the plate in that moment -- a left-on-left matchup in a high-stakes situation that he likely would’ve been pinch-hit for in the not-too-distant past -- speaks to how far he’s come since a pair of lengthy stints at Triple-A Tacoma.
Canzone was recalled for just two games, from April 8-9, before returning for good on June 9, while slowly solidifying the everyday right-field gig -- and without a platoon. In this stretch, he’s hitting .293 with an .840 OPS.
“You can be salty down there and maybe not do the best job that you really can,” Canzone said, “or you can go the other way and just try to take every day for granted that you get to play baseball every day and work at it.”
Canzone’s breakthrough was the caboose moment on a wild afternoon that saw the Mariners strand the bases loaded in the eighth inning with a 2-2 tie and the potential winning run on third in the 10th with a 3-3 tie. They also surrendered a go-ahead run in the 10th on a wild pitch, just after the White Sox loaded the bases on a hit-by-pitch from Eduard Bazardo that initially appeared to hit the knob of Curtis Mead’s bat.
Wilson challenged the ruling -- which was a near carbon-copy play that was ruled a hit for Dylan Moore in a July 19 win vs. Houston -- but Thursday’s call was confirmed.
“This game, if you stay in it long enough you see just about everything,” Wilson said.
Then, in Bazardo’s next at-bat, he sailed a 98 mph fastball inside that nicked catcher Mitch Garver’s glove before reaching the backstop, putting the Mariners behind for the first time all afternoon.
Had the final outcome gone the other way, especially after Randy Arozarena’s two-run homer in the second inning and his remarkable running catch in the ninth that kept Seattle alive, the day would’ve been looked at through a lens of spoiled opportunity.
As for Naylor, the first baseman was pulled to begin the top of the fourth inning, immediately after an at-bat in which he was seen grimacing before grounding out to first base for the final out in the third. Naylor also exhibited discomfort on a few swings during his first at-bat, a second-inning strikeout.
“We're going to get some answers here and monitor it and see where he's at,” Wilson said. “I think it's just a day-to-day kind of thing.”
Naylor, who was unavailable postgame, departed with Seattle clinging to a 2-0 lead, which evaporated after Logan Gilbert and Carlos Vargas surrendered solo homers later on.
Naylor was replaced by veteran Donovan Solano, who hadn’t appeared in a game since Naylor was acquired in a July 24 trade with Arizona.
Naylor has been on a heater since joining his new team, going 12-for-46 with three homers in 13 games, good for a slash line of .261/.320/.478 (.798 OPS). He’s also 10-for-10 on stolen base attempts, leading MLB in that category since the trade.
Thursday’s development came hours before Bryce Miller (right elbow inflammation) was scheduled to make his second rehab start at Triple-A Tacoma later on Thursday, while outfielder and first baseman Luke Raley (back spasms) and Victor Robles (left shoulder dislocation) could be nearing their own rehab assignments in the coming days.
Naylor has avoided the injured list all season, though he did experience an issue with his other (right) shoulder earlier this season, in which he also exhibited pain after an aggressive swing. He was forced to leave a June 23 game, also in the fourth inning and also vs. the White Sox, then missed Arizona’s next game before returning the following day.
Wilson said the latest issue is unrelated.
“Not since he’s been here,” Wilson said.