Logan Gilbert sparkles as Mariners beat Mets 4-0 for second straight shutout
SEATTLE – Here’s a slice of the life Victor Robles is living these days:
A few hours before Friday’s game, in an otherwise quiet clubhouse, Robles stood alone in the middle of the room, holding a plate of cut-up watermelon and, between bites, danced to Nate Dogg and Warren G’s “Party We Will Throw Now!”
There might not have been any other person anywhere doing anything with as much joy as Robles was eating watermelon and dancing alone.
And there he was Saturday evening, in the middle of the field, doing some similar dance moves while standing alone at second base after he’d doubled to lead off the bottom of the first inning against New York Mets veteran left-hander Sean Manaea.
Robles, again, served as the spark that jump-started the Mariners’ offense in a three-run first inning, which proved plenty in another sensational start for Logan Gilbert in a 4-0 victory over the Mets before a crowd of 31,407 at T-Mobile Park.
Gilbert was as good as he’s been all season, scattering just three hits over seven shutout innings to give the Mariners (62-56) a series victory over the playoff-hopeful Mets (61-56).
Gilbert issued one walk and struck out six, he leads the majors in innings pitched and WHIP, and lowered his ERA to 2.91 to remain in the thick of the AL Cy Young discussion.
The Mariners have won three in a row to remain tied atop the AL West, and they shut out the Mets in back-to-back games, after Bryce Miller threw six scoreless innings on Friday night.
They’ll go for the series sweep in a rare showcase game on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball.” First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. Sunday with Seattle’s Luis Castillo pitching opposite the Mets’ Luis Severino.
Robles’ leadoff double got the crowd off its feet early. A few pitches later, as Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez made a casual throw back to Manaea, Robles easily swiped third base – igniting the crowd once more.
Randy Arozarena followed with a double down the left-field line to give the M’s a 1-0 lead.
Two batters later, Justin Turner drove a Manaea fastball off the wall in right-center field, scoring Arozarena easily to make it 2-0.
With two outs, Mitch Haniger singled sharply up the middle to drive in Turner and extend the lead to 3-0.
It stayed that way until the seventh inning, when Turner singled to left to drive in Arozarena again from second base to make it 4-0.
Gilbert allowed a leadoff single to Francisco Lindor in the first inning. Gilbert benefited from a brilliant 4-6-3 double play to end the first when Jorge Polanco made a terrific diving stop up the middle, flipped the ball with his glove to Leo Rivas, who barehanded the ball as he swiped second base with his foot and then threw to first to get J.D. Martinez.
Robles had a web gem of his own in the fourth inning, diving in on a Lindor line drive to take away a base hit. Robles popped up and flashed Julio Rodriguez’s No Fly Zone to the crowd.