The last time they failed in this situation, which wasn’t the first time this season, JP Crawford was part of the problem.
He was one of three strikeouts to waste an opportunity with the bases loaded and no outs, leading to a frustrating loss to the Dodgers.
It left him angry and inconsolable, struggling to find optimism in defeat.
“I didn’t do my job and neither did Julio,” he said after that match. “The runners on first and second late in the game, we have to get past them and get them in.” We (expletive) stand up. I take full responsibility for it. I have to pass them on. I have to do my job.
On Thursday night, he entered the game in the bottom of the ninth inning as the pulse of his team’s playoff hopes began to fade.
After a run, he saw his teammates load the bases with no outs, taking advantage of Aroldis Chapman’s struggles.
He had also seen his team, going hitless with runners in scoring position, continue that trend with hitters Mike Ford and Josh Rojas failing to even move runners and at least tie the game.
As a crowd of 43,817 stood and chanted “JP!” JP! » the Mariners’ unofficial captain did his job, delivering the most important hit of the season thus far.
Crawford sent a line drive over the head of left fielder Evan Carter for a two-run double in the Mariners’ 3-2 win over the Rangers.
“At this point, everyone depends on me,” he said. “You just have to do it. These last matches say it all.
Instead of getting even closer to elimination from the playoffs, the Mariners, who were expected to win at least three of four games in the series against Texas, are still alive.
“Tonight is about fighting,” manager Scott Servais said. “You play the whole season, including spring training and all the work that goes into it, and it kind of comes down to the fact that you have to win a game, you have to get a big hit and our guys have found a way.”
It’s been a struggle to get this big hit for much of the season. The Mariners have struggled to get hits with runners in scoring position and that has been amplified in their struggles of late.
“This situation has happened several times,” Servais said. “I think if there was to be one defining moment in our season it would be our inability to get the guys out of third place, certainly with the bases loaded late in the game. This has happened to us several times. Luckily for us, we had the right person at the right time. JP Crawford has had something of a season.
The numbers don’t lie. Crawford came to the plate 16 times with the bases loaded this season. He has 10 hits with three doubles, a home run, a walk, two strikeouts and 22 RBIs. That’s a .667 batting average, folks.
“He didn’t change and he didn’t try to do too much,” Servais said. “It was just JP Crawford. When you get to those moments, just be yourself instead of trying to be the hero and trying to do too much and that’s what he did.
Crawford’s approach isn’t complicated: get in touch
“Hit hard,” he said. “I hope he finds a hole somewhere, finds grass.”
Seattle advanced a game behind the absent Astros and opened a three-game series in Phoenix against the wild-card Diamondbacks. The Mariners trail the Toronto Blue Jays by two games.
“We’ll never have that opportunity if we don’t kick,” Servais said of the late-game heroics.
The Mariners benefited from solid work from Logan Gilbert, facing the Rangers’ high-powered offense for the second straight outing, and scoreless relief work from Isaiah Campbell, Gabe Speier and Andres Munoz.
Gilbert pitched six innings, allowing two runs on three hits with no walks and five strikeouts. He allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings to Texas on Saturday.
“What work by Logan Gilbert,” Servais said. “I’m not surprised by Logan. Outwardly, we all see what a great competitor George Kirby is, but Logan has this alter ego, Walter. And he shows up on the day he pitches and we saw him tonight. There was no doubt that he was going to dig deeper into this game and give you a chance.
Both of his runs allowed came on solo home runs.
In the third inning, Leody Taveras took advantage of a 2-1 fastball to the middle of the plate, sending a deep blast over the wall in deep right-center for a solo homer.
The second homer came in the fourth inning when Gilbert hooked a 1-1 slider to the ever-dangerous Adolis Garcia. The error was crushed in the Mariners bullpen for a 2-0 lead.
“Even though they’re a pretty strong lineup and they can do some damage, you obviously saw some solo shots there, you can’t help it,” Gilbert said. “You just have to pursue them and I hope it happens to you.”
The Mariners got one of those runs in the bottom of the inning.
Julio Rodriguez, who struck out in his first plate appearance, giving him five straight outs, stayed on a first-pitch curveball from Rangers starter Jordan Montgomery, sending a flyball just over the wall in right field. Garcia went to great lengths to deprive Rodriguez of the home run, even putting a small glove on it.
“I thought he might get it,” Rodriguez said.
It was the first hit and first run of the game for the Mariners.
Montgomery worked six innings, allowing one run on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
The Mariners had a chance to tie after Rodriguez’s homer, but were 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position when Crawford came to the plate.
It was during this series of missed opportunities that assistant coach Carson Vitale tried to give Servais some optimism.
“At some point you’re going to have to hit with runners in scoring position,” Vitale told Servais. “We only need one.” If we get one, we’ll probably win the game.
Getting more than one in the future might be necessary to win at least two of the remaining games in the series.
“You just have to keep fighting,” Servais said. “And that’s what we do. It’s not very pretty some evenings. And it’s very frustrating. I will pay tribute to the fans who were here tonight. They came into play in the ninth inning and made the difference. When it gets loud and you’re on the road, it’s hard to throw strikes. And that’s what we saw with Chapman. So we need everyone to show up tomorrow, please, and do as hard as they can, because we need all the help we can get.
THE SCORE OF THE BOX