Mariners Log: Guillermo Heredia plays hero and M’s outshine White Sox

ROOKIE STARTER GAVIGLIO TOSSES FIVE IMPRESSIVE INNINGS

What happened: Guillermo Heredia singled home Jarrod Dyson in the bottom of the ninth and the Seattle Mariners (20-22) beat the Chicago White Sox (17-22) 5-4 on Thursday in the first of a four-game series at Safeco Field.

The heroics were needed as the bullpen, once again, turned a reasonably comfortable lead into a tie game, coughing up two runs in both the seventh and eighth innings to even things at 4-4.

Newcomer Casey Lawrence allowed a two-run shot to Matt Davidson, while Dan Altavilla gave up a pair solo home runs to Todd Frazier and Tim Anderson.

The pen’s inadequacies robbed starter Sam Gaviglio of a win in his first big league start and second appearance. Much like Christian Bergman on Wednesday, Gaviglio – a 26-year-old righty – gave the Mariners an unlikely but masterful performance: no runs on three hits and a walk over five innings.

Nick Vincent picked up the win with one shutout inning.

Line Outs

• The M’s dented the scoreboard in the third in one of the least likely of baseball outcomes: Jerrod Dyson hit an over-the-fence home run on a low liner to right that dropped into the first row of the stands. It was Dyson’s second home run of the season, tying his career high. Dyson now has nine career home runs in eight seasons.
• In the fourth, Danny Valencia skied one to left field that died right up against the fence, with left fielder Melky Cabrera doing a little unnecessary hop to haul it in.
• It stayed 1-0 until the fifth. With two down, Dyson singled, then stole second and third. Carlos Ruiz walked on a full count, then Jean Segura ripped a 1-0 slider into the stands in left for a three-run shot (4), and extended his hitting streak to 17 games, tied for tops in the bigs this year with some guy named Mike Trout.
• Welcome the M’s bullpen Casey Lawrence. In his first appearance for the Mariners after being claimed off waivers from Toronto, Lawrence coughed up a double to Tim Anderson in the seventh before Matt Davidson’s seventh home run of the season, just over the wall in left.
• In the eighth, Dan Altavilla continued to have problems with the home run ball, allowing taters to Todd Frazier and Tim Anderson. Frazier’s came on a hanging slider and Anderson smacked a 96 mph fastball that got too much of the plate.
• 2B Taylor Motter, who has been struggling mightily the past 10 days, started the ninth with a single, but was rubbed out on an attempted sacrifice by Dyson. No matter, as Ruiz bounced out to move Dyson to second. Segura was intentionally walk, then Heredia’s line drive scores the fleet Dyson easily.

The Takeaway

The Mariners continue to get good starting performances only to see the bullpen continue to falter. At least Vincent recovered from his hiccup earlier in the week to give a shutdown ninth inning. Gaviglio, out of Oregon State, doesn’t really have much of a minor league resume, but he limits walks and rarely gives up homers with a sinker-slider combo that could be useful in the pen once M’s starters return to the rotation.

Tweet of the Day

Players of the Game

Hero: Sam Gaviglio. A mostly unknown turns into a super unknown in his first big league start.

Goat: Dan Altavilla. The reliever has big league stuff but fell on black days again in the pen.

Next Game

Chicago White Sox (17-22) at Seattle Mariners (20-22) on Friday at 7:10 p.m. at Safeco Field. LHP Jose Quintana (2-2, 4.38) vs. RHP Ariel Miranda (3-2, 4.79).