The LL comments stopped working right about the time that Michael Rucker turned to watch his bases-loaded mess become a lead-losing base hit. Small mercies. Tonight’s 4-1 loss had the decency to come before sundown in Seattle, but the winter equinox is approaching far quicker for the Seattle Mariners than it is for the rest of us.
Bryan Woo was nails, albeit for just five frames, racking up his third shutout appearance in four appearances at Yankee Stadium, with the lone outlier last year’s 7.1 inning gem spoiled late by two big flies. Similarly to a season ago, the M’s bullpen coughed up a loss on a night that could’ve been put away earlier by a more competitive offense. Instead, they had Randy, end of list, for the umpteenth time this year. An opposite field homer was nice for a time, as left-handed man Ryan Weathers bamboozled Seattle’s bats by spraying his offerings around the area of the plate and allowing the limp-batted M’s to design and furnish their own mausoleums.
Unable to adjust or demonstrate knowledge of the prior existence of the pitcher they were facing, Seattle gave Weathers the courtesy of 5.2 frames before allowing a pair of southpaws continue going right at Seattle’s ideal lineup to face lefties. Tim Hill took 10 pitches for his frame and a third, Brent Headrick needed just nine. A misplay by Jazz Chisholm Jr. gave the M’s a shot with Dom Canzone aboard and just one out in the 9th, but Chisholm made up for it with a stellar ranging snag and throw to deny Cole Young a hit on the very next at-bat, giving Cal Raleigh three more elevated fastballs to add to his scouting report as he punched out and ended it.
Tonight’s moment is about Dan Wilson, of course, because it must be. Wilson reported postgame that despite an off day following serving his two-game suspension for throwing at Gleyber Torres back in the Tigers series, which forced Seattle to be shorthanded for most of the Rays series, Gabe Speier was unavailable due to back soreness. Following Woo, José Ferrer worked a clean sixth with 16 pitches, carving through the 1-2-3 of the Yankees. With LHHs Luis Garcia Jr. and Chisholm up, both sporting significant splits on the year and for their careers, Wilson opted for RHP Michael Rucker. Speier’s absence at the time was unknown externally, but even still it was a surprising choice ahead of time. Eduard Bazardo’s performance of late hasn’t earned immense trust with a 1-0 lead, and newly arrived Seranthony Domínguez is far from famed for easy innings. Lefty Josh Simpson has had next to no high-leverage experience in the bigs.
And so it was Rucker Wilson opted for, facing nine straight against three playoff teams, not wishing to extend Ferrer to a second frame either. A double, a single, a punchout, and a four-pitch walk to another lefty later, Rucker stood bases loaded against Ryan McMahon, squaring up from the left side as well. McMahon scalded a breaking ball for a single, an xBA of .500 evoking a coin that will even out eventually, if not necessarily in the Holocene. Eduard Bazardo arrived at last, hoping to hold a 2-1 lead he needn’t have bothered with. A chip-swing grounder from Austin Wells crawled through the 5-6 hole like it’d been rolled there to triple New York’s lead. On a night only Julio Rodríguez managed a ball hit at an expected batting average above .500, Seattle started their road trip from hell exactly where they expected to be.
