Mariners Doubleheader Game Notes — April 21 at Colorado
AS YOU KNOW…Jonatan Clase went 2-for-5 with 2 RBI last night, recording his first multi-hit game and his first multi-RBI game of his career, and…AS YOU MAY KNOW…Clase has reached base safely in each of his first 4 career games, becoming first Mariners player to reach base in each of his first 4+ career games since José Caballero (4 G) last season, who coincidentally made his MLB debut (April 15, 2023) exactly 1 year before Clase, but…DID YOU KNOW?…Clase is the first player in Mariners history to reach base in each of his first 4 career games, with the Mariners also winning each of the games?…Seattle is 4–0 since Clase was called up (4/15-c), with the Mariners offense averaging 6.0 runs/game during that span.
TODAY’S TILTS…the Mariners continue a 6-game road trip (1–0) today with a doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies (1–0)…Seattle won last night’s game by a score of 7–0…Friday’s game was postponed due to rain/snow, leading to today’s doubleheader…following today’s games, Seattle will travel to Texas for a 3-game series against the Rangers (April 23–25) in their first AL West matchup of the season…the Mariners are coming off a 6-game homestand (4–2) against the Chicago Cubs (1–2) and Cincinnati Reds (3–0)…today’s games are televised live on ROOT SPORTS with Aaron Goldsmith and Mike Blowers on the call…the games are also broadcast live on Seattle Sports (710 AM) with Rick Rizzs and Dave Sims.
ODDS AND ENDS…the Mariners extended their season-high winning streak to 4 games with last night’s 7–0 win…Seattle is 6–2 over it’s last 8 games…the Mariners are looking to win back-to-back series for the first time this season with a win in either game of today’s doubleheader…Seattle is 1–4–1 in series this season, sweeping the Reds in their most recent series (April 15–17).
Let’s Play Two — The Mariners are set to play their first doubleheader since Oct. 4, 2022 vs. Detroit (2–0)…Seattle has played 83 doubleheaders in club history with a 82–84 record in doubleheader games…Seattle has swept 17 doubleheaders (20.5%), been swept in 18 (21.7%) and split 48 (57.8%).
First — The Mariners enter today’s action with a share of first place in the American League West (also: Texas) for the first time since Opening Day.
Don’t Let Us Get Hot — The Mariners have won a season-high 4 consecutive games dating back to April 15…Seattle was the only American League team during the 2023 regular season to tally 2 separate winning streaks of 8+ games…overall, Seattle recorded 10 winning streaks of 3+ games during the 2023 regular season.
No Running — The Mariners tossed their 2nd shutout of the season in last night’s 7–0 win, becoming 1 of 10 teams in the Majors with multiple shutouts this season.
Get On The Board First — Seattle is 9–1 when scoring first in games this season…the Mariners win on April 17 vs. the Reds marked their first comeback win so far in 2024.
HITTING STRIDE…during the Mariners 4-game winning streak, Seattle has outscored opponents 24–5…during that span (4/15-c), the Mariners offense is averaging 6.0 runs/game, batting .308 (41x133) with 6 doubles, 2 triples, 6 home runs and 5 stolen bases, while reaching base at a .422 clip and slugging .519 for a .941 OPS…Mariners pitchers have posted a 1.25 ERA (5 ER, 36.0 IP) during the winning streak, while limiting opponents to a .124 batting average against (15x121) with 6 walks, 42 strikeouts and a .412 OPS.
ONLY ONE ALLOWED…the Mariners have held opponents to 1 run-or-less in each of their last 3 games dating back to April 16…Seattle joins Kansas City as the only teams in MLB with a streak of 3+ games limiting opponents to no more than 1 run this season…Seattle’s 3-game stretch allowing 1 run-or-less is their longest since Sept. 1–3, 2022 (3 G)…Seattle last held opponents to 1 run-or-less in 4 consecutive games from July 1–4, 2011…the Mariners have held opponents to 1 run-or-less in a franchise record 6 consecutive games on 2 occasions: June 16–23, 2010 (6 G) and Sept. 7–19, 2001 (6 G).
STRONG WEEK+ OF PITCHING…the Mariners pitching staff over the last 8 games (4/10-c) is 6–2 with 2 saves and a 1.60 ERA (13 ER, 73.0 IP) with 12 walks and 79 strikeouts…Seattle leads MLB in ERA and fewest runs allowed (15) during that stretch…Seattle pitching also leads the Majors in opponent batting average (.154/39x253), WHIP (0.70), walks-per-9 innings (1.48), hits-per-9 innings (4.81) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.58) since April 10.
CAL CAN DO IT ALL…Cal Raleigh reached base 5 times in last night’s game, going 4-for-4 to record his first career 4-hit game, while scoring 2 runs with 1 home run, 2 RBI and 1 walk…with 4 hits & 1 walk, Cal became the first Mariners catcher to record 4 hits and reach base 5 times in a game since Dan Wilson on June 11, 1996 at Minnesota….Raleigh leads the Majors in defensive runs saved (7) regardless of position and has registered 5 catcher caught stealings, tied for most in MLB this season with Alejandro Kirk-TOR and Shea Langeliers-OAK.
THE J-ROD SHOW…Julio Rodríguez recorded his first 4-hit game of the season last night with a 4-for-5 effort at the plate…in 2023, Rodríguez was tied for the American League lead with 6 4-hit games (also: Bo Bichette-TOR)…Julio has tallied multiple hits in 3-consecutive games, and has hit safely in each of his last 4 games dating back to April 15…during that span, he’s batting .474 (9x19) with 4 runs, 2 doubles, 2 RBI, 1 walk and 4 stolen bases, while reaching base at a .500 clip and slugging .579 with a 1.079 OPS.
BULLPEN BRILLIANCE…the Mariners bullpen is 2–1 and 5-for-5 in save opportunities, posting a 2.84 ERA (20 ER, 63.1 IP) with 23 walks and 65 strikeouts through 20 games this season…Seattle’s 2.84 bullpen ERA ranks tied for 5th in the Majors (also: Minnesota), while its .183 opponent batting average ranks 2nd in the Majors…Seattle’s relief corps ranks 2nd in MLB in WHIP (1.01) and 2nd in hits-per-9 innings (5.83).
Muñoz Mania…Andrés Muñoz is 1–1 with 2 saves and a 2.45 ERA (2 ER, 7.1 IP) with 11 strikeouts…three of his 7 appearances have been 1.1 IP or longer, matching his total from all of last season…in his Mariners career, Muñoz has posted 12.9 strikeouts-per-9 innings, 2nd-best in franchise history (min. 120.0 IP) and trailing only Edwin Díaz (14.2 SO/9)…current Mariners Matt Brash (3rd, 12.5) and Luis Castillo (7th, 10.2) rank among the top 10, while current Mariners Assistant Pitching Coach and Major League Pitching Strategist Danny Farquhar ranks 6th (10.5).
NEXT HOMESTAND…the Mariners 3rd homestand of 2024 welcomes the Arizona Diamondbacks (3 G, 4/26–4/28) and Atlanta Braves (3 G, 4/29–5/1) to T-Mobile Park…the homestand features Mariners Turn Ahead The Clock Jersey Night (April 26), ’90s Night — Mariners Neon Hat (April 27), Little League Day — Cal Raleigh Poster (April 28), the first Bark at the Park of the season (April 29), and Value Games on April 30 and May 1.
Mariners Doubleheader Game Notes — April 21 at Colorado was originally published in From the Corner of Edgar & Dave on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.