CLEVELAND — Perhaps the only thing that can slow down the Mariners on this road trip will be the rain showers that are expected to start early Sunday morning and the thunderstorms that are predicted follow right around the time of first pitch.
Having the season series finale postponed to another day would be welcomed by the Guardians, who have seen more than enough of the Mariners’ collection of pitchers — starters and relievers — that have flummoxed them in six games in the last 10 days.
Led by yet another solid start from lefty Robbie Ray and the continued lockdown pitching of the bullpen, the Mariners rolled to a 4-0 victory at Progressive Field.
It was the seventh time the Mariners have shut out a team this season. Making his 27th start of the season, Ray pitched six scoreless innings, allowing six hits with no walks and three strikeouts to improve to 12-8 on the season and lower his ERA to 3.45.
Six days earlier at T-Mobile Park, Ray held Cleveland scoreless over seven innings, allowing just three hits with seven strikeouts.
Over his last six starts, Ray is 4-0 with a 1.38 ERA. In those 39 innings pitched, he’s allowed six earned runs on 25 hits with 11 walks and 44 strikeouts. Over his last 15 starts, Ray has allowed three runs or fewer in 13 of them. The exceptions were back-to-back starts against the Astros on July 24 (six runs allowed) and July 29 (four runs allowed).
If you throw in the back-to-back starts against Cleveland by Luis Castillo, the top two starters in the Mariners rotation have pitched a combined 25 innings in four games, allowing one run while striking out 24 batters and walking just two.
With Aaron Civale, the scheduled starter for Saturday, placed on the injured list with forearm tightness, the Mariners grinded through at-bats on rookie right-hander Xzavion Curry, who was recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Friday. Making just his second MLB start, Curry struggled to throw consistent strikes and the Mariners were willing to wait him out.
Ty France continued his recent uptick in power, blasting a solo homer in the first inning for an early 1-0 lead.
It was France’s 18th homer and his fourth in his last 20 at-bats.
Seattle tacked on another run in the second, loading the bases on a walk, and error and a single from Julio Rodriguez with one out. After France popped up to first, Mitch Haniger, who has tormented Cleveland pitchers, watched four pitches not even close to the zone go by for a run-scoring walk.
The Mariners added two more runs in the fifth inning. With one out, Curry issued consecutive walks to Jesse Winker, Carlos Santana and Adam Frazier to load the bases again and end his night.
Cleveland manager Terry Francona called on sinker/slider specialist Nick Sandlin, trying to get a ground ball for a double play. Instead, Cal Raleigh battled Sandlin after getting behind 1-2, fouling off two pitches, refusing to chase an elevated fastball and lining a single into right to score Winker and keep the bases loaded.
J.P. Crawford, who had snapped an 0-for-12 streak with a single in his previous at-bat, was able to check his swing on a 3-2 slider out of the zone for a walk to force in another run that made it 4-0.
