The Seattle Mariners have shown they can beat teams by overpowering them on offense or with pitching and defense.
They’ve shown both in the first two games of this weekend’s American League West series against the swooning Texas Rangers and will look for a sweep of the three-game set when they clash on Sunday afternoon in Arlington, Texas.
The finale will feature a pair of right-handed starters. Seattle will send rookie Logan Evans (1-0, 3.60 ERA) to the mound, and the Rangers will counter with the resurgent Jacob deGrom (1-1, 2.73).
The Mariners won 2-1 on Saturday, their sixth straight victory and eighth in their last 10 games. The triumph clinched Seattle’s eighth straight series win and second against Texas this season.
The Rangers, meanwhile, lost their fourth straight game, the seventh of their past eight and dropped their fifth consecutive series. Texas, which had five hits on Saturday, has a combined three runs in its past four contests.
Evans was solid in earning the win in his major league debut last Sunday, allowing two runs on two hits over five innings while striking out three and walking three in a game the Mariners captured 7-6 at home over Miami.
“(Evans) was in control of what he was doing the whole game,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “For a guy in his debut seemed very calm, very collected. He mixed all his stuff. That’s what he does, and I think that’s what makes him successful.”
Earlier this week, the 23-year old Evans, who was drafted by Pittsburgh in the 12th round in 2023, was named Seattle’s minor league pitcher of the month. While at Tacoma, he had five starts, a 1-1 record and a 3.86 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings while going at least five innings in all of those outings.
On the opposite end of the pitching spectrum, the veteran deGrom continues to build his stamina, strength and command after missing most of the past two seasons following Tommy John surgery. He earned his first victory since April 2023 in his most recent outing, hurling six shutout innings and just 65 pitches in a 15-2 victory over the visiting Athletics on Tuesday.
deGrom gave up just four hits, all singles, and struck out a season-high seven and walked none. And for the first time this season in his six starts, he got some real run support.
“Even when (my teammates) put up a ton of runs, the goal is to go out there and put up another zero and get them back in the dugout,” deGrom explained. “That’s constantly the goal, to not give up runs. I try not to look at any game differently — just go out there and put up zeros and keep it close.”
deGrom has started five times against Seattle in his career, posting a 1-1 record with a 2.66 ERA in 23 2/3 innings. He’s allowed eight runs (seven earned) on 20 hits, with 30 strikeouts and seven walks.
-Field Level Media
