Mariners open critical 3-game series against Rangers with 3-2 win

A one-run win?

It’s really the only way the Mariners could start the most important series to date in the 2024 season.

A non-descript four-run victory? A fun six-run pasting? Nope. It had to be nail-gnawing anxiety with failure just a pitch away down to the 27th out.

The Mariners followed a familiar formula for success: solid starting pitching, lockdown bullpen work and just enough offense to hold on for a 3-2 victory in the opener of this critical three-game series between the top two teams in the American League West.

That announced crowd of 41,814 that filled T-Mobile Park on Friday night,, all stood in anxious anticipation while fighting off fear of the worst, as Ryne Stanek tried to close out the win after allowing a one-out double to Wyatt Langford in the bottom of the ninth.

With the tying run on second base, Stanek got pinch-hitter Josh Smith to pop up to second baseman Dylan Moore. Stanek needed just one pitch — a 98-mph fastball — to retire Ezequiel Duran with an easy ground out to third baseman Josh Rojas and pick up his sixth save of the season.

The Mariners improved to 41-31 and moved to 6.5 games up on the Rangers in the division. In 20 games vs. American League West teams, the Mariners have a 15-5 record, including 3-1 vs. Texas this season.

“Our guys know it,” manager Scott Servais said. “If you want to win the West, you’ve got to beat the two teams in Texas. You have to take care of your division. Those teams have won the last two World Series. So it’s a good way to start the series.”

But the start to the start of the series was less than ideal.

It looked like it might be yet another struggle against the Rangers for Seattle starter Luis Castillo.

The last time he had faced the defending World Series champions at T-Mobile Park was back on Sept. 30 of last season. With the Mariners’ postseason hopes fading, they needed him to deliver an outing befitting an ace. In front of a packed house, Castillo wasn’t even ordinary. He was hittable and forgettable, giving up four runs on five hits with five walks and lasting 2 2/3 innings. The Mariners couldn’t recover and were drubbed 6-1. They were eliminated about an hour after the loss when Houston defeated Arizona.

It’s a feeling that Castillo hasn’t forgotten.

“Last year didn’t go the way we wanted,” Castillo said through interpreter Freddy Llanos. “Those guys took the path and they took it all the way in the World Series. This year, I want this team to make the playoffs because I think we have the talent and the roster to go really far in these playoffs and I think we’re on the right path.”

But when Nathaniel Lowe smashed a run-scoring double with two outs in the first inning and Langford followed with a laser of a single to center to score Lowe for a 2-0 lead before the Mariners had even batted, well, it felt like a familiar path from last season.

“It was two swings that did damage to us,” Castillo said.

But Castillo’s teammates picked him up, tying the game in the bottom of the first on a two-run homer from Mitch Garver off Rangers starter Andrew Heaney. The deep drive landed just out of the reach of leaping Leody Taveras and into The ‘Pen.

“I was pretty surprised that it went out,” Garver said. “But the roof was closed. The roof was open last night and I lined out to shallow centerfield on a ball. I thought I hit pretty good. So I don’t know, I’ve just got to get out and hit it higher.”

Following his eighth homer of the season, Garver went right up to his starting pitcher.

“As soon as he came into the dugout, he came up to me and told me, ‘I got you, brother,’” Castillo said. “It’s little things like that, that kind of gives me that positivity of wanting to come each day to the ballpark and play for these guys.”

Given a reset to his outing, Castillo made it count. He struck out the next four batters he faced and allowed just one hit and one walk over the next five innings.

“When we tied the game, that’s when I thought, ‘OK, it’s 0-0, let’s go win this,’” Castillo said. “But these batters, I mean, they just won the World Series last year. You know that if you miss your spot, they’re going to create damage.”

But he didn’t miss many spots after that first inning.

“After that first inning, I was a little concerned,” Servais said. “But it’s Luis Castillo, he’s been around the league and he’s given up two runs in the first inning before. He knows how to flip the switch and get it back locked in. And when you get the the two-run home run in the first, it really does help the starter.”

The Mariners took the lead in the bottom of the third.

J.P. Crawford led off with a looping single to center. Mitch Haniger followed with a single to left-center to put runners on the corners.

Julio Rodriguez pushed across the go-ahead run with a rocket one-hop ground ball to second base. Marcus Semien gloved the 107-mph shot, but couldn’t make a play at home and only got a force out at second.

Seattle couldn’t scratch out another run for insurance. The Mariners had opportunities, but couldn’t capitalize. The Mariners got a scoreless seventh inning from Mike Baumann and a scoreless eighth from Andres Munoz, who worked around a two-out walk to Corey Seager and a debated balk call, by striking out Adolis Garcia.

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