Young, Kirby Dominate
Mariners Rally Behind George Kirby's Gem and Cole Young's Homers to Defeat Angels 6-2
Key Points
George Kirby extended his quality-start streak to four straight outings, working eight innings and allowing two runs on seven hits with one walk and seven strikeouts, improving to 7-7. In that four-start span he has logged 26 innings with 10 runs (nine earned) allowed and a 27:6 K:BB.
Angels leadoff hitter Zach Neto provided early trouble, doubling to center to start the game and later belting his 18th home run in the third to push Seattle behind 2-0.
Dominic Canzone added a key homer, his 13th of the season, to lead off the sixth and pull Seattle within 4-2.
Kirby issued his lone walk of the night to Neto with one out in the eighth, then retired Guzman looking and Nolan Schanuel on his 100th pitch to help seal the win.
Cole Young hit two home runs and George Kirby threw eight brilliant innings as the Seattle Mariners beat the Los Angeles Angels 6-2 on Monday at T-Mobile Park. Associated Press reported the win moved Seattle back to .500 and kept them a half-game behind the Texas Rangers in the AL West.
Young, a second baseman in his first full season, went 3-for-3 with three RBIs in what Seattle Times called the first multi-homer game of his career. Kirby allowed just two runs over eight innings, striking out seven and walking one, to improve his record to 7-7.
Cole Young Erases 2-0 Deficit With Back-to-Back Blasts
The Angels jumped out fast. Shortstop Zach Neto doubled to center on the very first pitch of the game, and Denzer Guzman followed with an RBI single to make it 1-0. Neto then hit his 18th home run of the season in the third inning to push the lead to 2-0, according to Associated Press.
Young answered quickly. He led off the third with a 412-foot solo blast to center — his eighth homer of the year — cutting the deficit to 2-1. Then in the sixth, with Seattle already ahead 4-2, Young hit a two-run shot for his ninth homer to put the game away. MLB.com noted it was the kind of power display that has solidified Young as a cornerstone of Seattle's lineup alongside Julio Rodríguez.
Raleigh's Bloop Single Flips the Lead in the Fourth
Between Young's two homers, Cal Raleigh delivered the go-ahead hit. In the fourth inning, Randy Arozarena was hit by a pitch and Josh Naylor reached on an error. Raleigh then lofted a bloop single to score two runs and give Seattle a 3-2 lead, according to CBS Sports.
Dominic Canzone added to the lead in the sixth. He led off the inning with a 428-foot blast off Angels reliever Mitch Farris — his 13th homer of the season — to make it 4-2. MLB.com reported that Canzone hit the shot despite dealing with a minor hamstring issue, and the Mariners may use him more at designated hitter to protect his health.
Kirby Reaches 100th Pitch With Strikeout to Seal the Eighth
Kirby was sharp all night. He threw 100 pitches, 70 of them strikes — a 70% strike rate — and struck out the side in the fifth to protect a one-run lead, per Associated Press. Over his last four starts, he has thrown 26 innings and posted a 27-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
He hit a brief snag in the eighth, walking Neto with one out. But Kirby recovered. He struck out Guzman, then got Nolan Schanuel looking on his 100th pitch to end the inning. "I was just trying to get real pissed off at the end there, just kind of give it all I had," Kirby said, according to MLB.com. José Ferrer threw a scoreless ninth to close it out.
Mariners Climb Back to .500 in Tight AL West Race
The win came at a key moment for Seattle. Manager Dan Wilson said it was "a little bit of everything tonight" and called it "the type of well-rounded win we've been seeking for much of the past few weeks," per MLB.com. The Mariners had struggled for consistency after a tough road trip in Cleveland.
The victory pushed Seattle back to .500 and left them just a half-game behind Texas in the AL West. RotoWire noted the standings remain tight, with Houston and Oakland also within two games. For the Angels, the loss left them 6.5 games back in the division, as their bullpen — which gave up three runs in the sixth — remains a problem area.
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