Rodriguez becomes first with 5 straight 20-20 seasons
Julio Rodriguez became the first player in MLB history to record 5 straight 20-20 seasons against the Athletics on September 3, even as the Mariners fell 7-4 that night and 7-6 the next.
Raleigh's homer wasted in a 7-6 loss
The Mariners lost their second straight to the Athletics, falling 7-6 at T-Mobile Park on September 4 after a 7-4 defeat the night before. Cal Raleigh went 2-for-3 with a double and a home run, driving in 2 runs, and Josh Naylor added a double and an RBI in a 3-for-4 night, but Seattle couldn't hold the lead. Logan Gilbert took the loss on the mound, allowing 7 earned runs on 8 hits over 4.2 innings despite striking out 10.
Athletics4-7Athletics6-7The two losses dropped Seattle to 66-76, 6.0 games back of the final AL Wild Card spot with an elimination number down to 14. Right fielder Lazaro Montes was removed from Friday's game with left hip soreness and is day-to-day, and during one of the losses to Oakland, umpires issued warnings after a hit-by-pitch nobody thought was intentional before ejecting manager Dan Wilson when he came out to ask why, per @JomboyMedia.
Rodriguez's 5th straight 20-20 season
Julio Rodriguez made history against the Athletics on September 3, becoming the first player in MLB history with 5 straight 20-20 seasons, Barstool Bush wrote in "Julio Rodriguez Becomes First Player Ever With 5 Straight 20-20 Seasons."
Per that piece, Rodriguez told Oakland's Luis Medina directly that the stolen bases aren't stopping, a message delivered in the middle of a series in which Seattle was dropping consecutive games to Oakland.
Upcoming
The Mariners host the Athletics tonight, and George Kirby (9-10, 4.19 ERA) gets the ball after a no-decision his last time out, when he allowed 5 earned runs over 5.0 innings against the Red Sox on August 31. He'll face Jeffrey Springs (3-13, 6.37 ERA), who was tagged for 7 earned runs in 4.2 innings in a loss to the Orioles on August 30.
Seattle is favored tonight, and the total points to a low-scoring game, a read that fits Kirby's recent output more than Springs's, who has allowed 7 earned runs in his own last start. For that total to hold, a Mariners lineup that managed just 4 and 6 runs across its last two games will need to find some against a pitcher carrying a 6.37 ERA.