Latest news with #DanWilson


Reuters
5 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Mariners open big series vs. division-leading Astros
July 18 - The Seattle Mariners have been up and down recently. They'll need to be at their best coming out of the All-Star break as they'll play host to the American League West-leading Houston Astros in a three-game series beginning Friday night at T-Mobile Park. When the Mariners were last at home, they pitched three consecutive shutouts in sweeping Pittsburgh. They then lost three in a row in New York against the Yankees, including blowing a five-run lead over the final two innings of the series finale after Bryan Woo took a no-hitter into the eighth. Then they traveled to Detroit, where they scored 35 runs in sweeping a three-game set against the Tigers, the team with the best record in baseball. "I can't give enough credit to those guys in that clubhouse to bounce back," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. "That's what this game is all about. You have to be able to go on and come back the next day. And these guys prove that over and over and over again. "We've pushed (the Yankees series) aside, we've moved on, and this one feels really good because of it." Cal Raleigh homered twice in the opener in Detroit, giving him an MLB-leading 38 for the season, before winning the Home Run Derby in Atlanta. Julio Rodriguez, who skipped the All-Star Game to rest, went 6-for-12 against the Tigers with two doubles, three homers and six RBIs, increasing his OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) from .687 to .731. "These last few days have been incredible," Mariners pitcher George Kirby said. "I feel like every ball (the offense) put in play got through a hole, or was hard-hit or in the gap or a home run. They have really been seeing the ball well. ... It's always good when you can get a lot of run support." In contrast, the Astros lost five of their last six games on a homestand against Cleveland and Texas heading into the All-Star break. That allowed the second-place Mariners to pull within five games in the division race. Astros manager Joe Espada said he wasn't concerned by the downturn. "(We're in) a really good spot," Espada said. "If we would have drawn this up and envisioned us having a strong first half compared to last year -- 16 games over .500, five games up in the division -- that's exactly where a team that's trying to achieve a goal of winning the division, that's exactly where we wanted to be." All-Star pitcher Hunter Brown echoed those comments. "I think that we're the best team in our division and the best team in the league," he said. "Sitting in first place and in a good spot is exactly where we want to be and where we think we should be." The Astros are set to start left-hander Brandon Walter (1-2, 3.98 ERA) on Friday, while the Mariners have yet to name a starter. Walter is set to make his eighth career start. He suffered a 4-2 loss to visiting Cleveland on July 9 despite allowing just two runs on two hits over six innings, with no walks and seven strikeouts. Walter will be facing the Mariners for the first time in his career. --Field Level Media
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh: All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz was tipping pitches against Yankees
NEW YORK (AP) — Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh thinks All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz was tipping pitches when he squandered a two-run lead in the ninth inning Thursday night against the New York Yankees. Muñoz was handed his sixth blown save in 27 opportunities this season after starter Bryan Woo held the Yankees hitless into the eighth. With the Mariners holding a 5-3 lead, Muñoz entered in the ninth. He allowed a leadoff single to Trent Grisham and a one-out single to Cody Bellinger before Ben Rice came back from an 0-2 count to draw a walk that loaded the bases with two outs. Standing at second base while Austin Wells batted, Bellinger waved his arms when Muñoz threw his slider. Wells took a changeup perhaps just below the strike zone for ball three, and on the next pitch he lined a full-count fastball into right field for a two-run single that tied it. 'He was tipping every time (with a runner) on second base,' Raleigh said of Muñoz. 'Obviously, they weren't making it very discreet, but it is part of the game. We have to know about that better going into series, and that made it really hard there at the end. 'You try to do the most you can without trying to distract him from what is happening at the plate. So that's something that'll we'll have to figure out the next couple of days, for sure.' Seattle manager Dan Wilson, however, said he didn't think Muñoz was giving away pitch selection. 'I don't think that's the case,' Wilson said. 'Just, I think we got ourselves into some tough counts and they took advantage of it.' Wells was the sixth hitter in the inning and by that point Muñoz had thrown 23 pitches. 'I had five great at-bats before me to let me get up there and those guys kind of gave me a lot of confidence to trust I was going to get a pitch to hit,' Wells said. New York capped its improbable comeback from a 5-0 deficit when Anthony Volpe scored the winning run in the 10th with an acrobatic slide on Aaron Judge's shallow sacrifice fly. 'We couldn't get much going against Woo, but this team has a lot of fight,' Judge said. 'I'm glad Volpe's fast.' Helped by Giancarlo Stanton's first career pinch-hit homer off Matt Brash in the eighth, the Yankees became the first team to win after being no-hit and trailing by five runs through seven innings since the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Montreal Expos on June 24, 1977. 'It was a lot of fun,' Wells said. ___ AP MLB:

Associated Press
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh: All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz was tipping pitches against Yankees
NEW YORK (AP) — Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh thinks All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz was tipping pitches when he squandered a two-run lead in the ninth inning Thursday night against the New York Yankees. Muñoz was handed his sixth blown save in 27 opportunities this season after starter Bryan Woo held the Yankees hitless into the eighth. With the Mariners holding a 5-3 lead, Muñoz entered in the ninth. He allowed a leadoff single to Trent Grisham and a one-out single to Cody Bellinger before Ben Rice came back from an 0-2 count to draw a walk that loaded the bases with two outs. Standing at second base while Austin Wells batted, Bellinger waved his arms when Muñoz threw his slider. Wells took a changeup perhaps just below the strike zone for ball three, and on the next pitch he lined a full-count fastball into right field for a two-run single that tied it. 'He was tipping every time (with a runner) on second base,' Raleigh said of Muñoz. 'Obviously, they weren't making it very discreet, but it is part of the game. We have to know about that better going into series, and that made it really hard there at the end. 'You try to do the most you can without trying to distract him from what is happening at the plate. So that's something that'll we'll have to figure out the next couple of days, for sure.' Seattle manager Dan Wilson, however, said he didn't think Muñoz was giving away pitch selection. 'I don't think that's the case,' Wilson said. 'Just, I think we got ourselves into some tough counts and they took advantage of it.' Wells was the sixth hitter in the inning and by that point Muñoz had thrown 23 pitches. 'I had five great at-bats before me to let me get up there and those guys kind of gave me a lot of confidence to trust I was going to get a pitch to hit,' Wells said. New York capped its improbable comeback from a 5-0 deficit when Anthony Volpe scored the winning run in the 10th with an acrobatic slide on Aaron Judge's shallow sacrifice fly. 'We couldn't get much going against Woo, but this team has a lot of fight,' Judge said. 'I'm glad Volpe's fast.' Helped by Giancarlo Stanton's first career pinch-hit homer off Matt Brash in the eighth, the Yankees became the first team to win after being no-hit and trailing by five runs through seven innings since the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Montreal Expos on June 24, 1977. 'It was a lot of fun,' Wells said. ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
MLB Makes Historic Seattle Mariners Announcement Sunday After Win vs. Pirates
MLB Makes Historic Seattle Mariners Announcement Sunday After Win vs. Pirates originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Seattle Mariners defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates by a score of 1-0 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Sunday, winning their seventh game in ten tries as they shut out manager Don Kelly's team. Advertisement Manager Dan Wilson's Mariners have made significant progress in recent days on the strength of their pitching staff, culminating in a six-inning, nine strikeout performance from hurler George Kirby on Sunday as he battled Pirates ace Paul Skenes, who struck out ten batters in five innings and did not give up a run. Carlos Vargas, Gabe Speier and Andres Munoz combined to shut the door on Pittsburgh in 2.2 innings of scoreless relief, pacing the Mariners to a shutout victory. Major League Baseball commented on the Mariners' recent success with a historic announcement that turned heads afterward. George Kirby of the Mariners throws against the Pirates at T-Mobile Park in Seattle Sunday. © Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images "The @Mariners throw three consecutive shutouts for the FIRST TIME in franchise history!" the MLB X account wrote. Advertisement "Pirates can't hit though," one fan said, tempering the announcement. "Impressive!!!" another added. "Trade Paul Skenes to the Mets and give him an opportunity to win," another said of the losing Pirates ace. "And still 0 World Series appearances. Sad," another added of the M's. The Mariners have made it to the American League Championship series three times but have not advanced to MLB's Fall Classic, the World Series. While they are currently behind other teams in the race for top marks in the American League, Wilson's team's pitching staff has given fans hope for better days ahead along with bigger and bolder achievements. Advertisement "The starting pitching's rounding into form," one fan added. Related: Major League Baseball Faces Backlash From Fans After All-Star Game Roster Announcement This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.

Associated Press
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Mariners' Garver leaves game after foul ball off mask, forcing Raleigh to catch and forfeit DH
Seattle catcher Mitch Garver was removed from Thursday's game at Minnesota after taking a foul ball off his mask in the fifth inning, forcing star Cal Raleigh to finish behind the plate and the Mariners to forfeit their designated hitter. Mariners right-hander Emerson Hancock threw a 94 mph fastball to start against Twins right fielder Matt Wallner, and the 6-foot-4, 220-pound slugger knocked Garver's mask off when he sharply fouled it off his face around the jaw and cheek. The Mariners's staff carefully examined Garver before deciding to pull him out. Garver missed time with a concussion after being hit by a foul ball during the 2018 season with the Twins, his original team. The Mariners typically use Raleigh, the major league leader in home runs (32) and RBIs (69), as their designated hitter when he takes a break from catching. But with Garver the only other catcher currently on the roster, manager Dan Wilson was forced to put Raleigh behind the plate and lose the DH for the remainder of the game, which began after a rain delay of 4 hours and 22 minutes. ___ AP MLB: ___ AP MLB: