This story was originally published by Dead Spin
Randy Arozarena has re-energized the Seattle Mariners’ offense.
The Mariners have scored six or more runs in seven of eight games since it was announced they were acquiring the left fielder from the Tampa Bay Rays.
Arozarena had two doubles and scored twice Saturday, including the winning run on a bases-loaded walk to Mitch Haniger in the bottom of the 10th inning, as the Mariners rallied from a five-run deficit to record a 6-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Mariners, who have won six of their past eight games to regain sole possession of first place in the American League West, will go for a three-game sweep of the interleague series against the Phillies on Sunday afternoon in Seattle.
The Mariners had totaled just 11 runs over six games before landing Arozarena, who is batting .333 and has scored nine runs in seven games with Seattle.
“The energy (Arozarena and Victor Robles) give us is really paying off and helping this team,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “They provide an entertainment factor … that’s what people come to see.”
Trailing 5-0, Haniger hit a solo homer in the fifth inning to get the Mariners on the board. Arozarena’s leadoff double in the sixth sparked a four-run rally that tied the score.
“An outstanding effort from our entire ballclub,” Servais said. “No quit, no giving up. Things were looking a little bleak there early on after they put the big inning on us in the fifth inning. Momentum win. It wasn’t pretty, but we’ll take it.”
The deciding bases-loaded walk was Haniger’s seventh career walk-off, tying him with Jim Presley for the franchise record.
“A win is a win, but hitting in a walk-off feels a little better,” Haniger joked.
The National League East-leading Phillies suffered their sixth straight loss and dropped to 3-11 since the All-Star break.
“I think during the course of the year you go through this a little bit, and it gets contagious too, but once you come through it, that gets contagious as well,” Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said of his struggling bullpen. “That group is just too talented for this to continue.”
All-Star reliever Jeff Hoffman had allowed just five earned runs all season before giving up four Saturday.
“Just a little bit off, but he’s a guy I trust — still trust,” Thomson said. “Lefty, righty, it doesn’t matter. Just, they were on him tonight.”
Alec Bohm drove in three runs for the Phillies, and Bryce Harper broke out of a career-worst 0-for-24 slump with a leadoff double in the fourth inning.
Sunday’s series finale will feature a matchup of All-Star right-handers in the Phillies’ Zack Wheeler (10-5, 2.94 ERA) and the Mariners’ Logan Gilbert (6-7, 3.11).
Both Wheeler and Gilbert will try to bounce back from rough starts on Monday.
Wheeler allowed seven runs on seven hits — including three homers — over five innings in a 14-4 loss to the visiting New York Yankees. Gilbert gave up seven runs in 2 2/3 innings of a 14-7 defeat at Boston.
Wheeler will face the Mariners for the first time in his 10-year career. Gilbert is 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA in two starts against the Phillies.
–Field Level Media
