Mariners’ Randy Arozarena haunts former team as Seattle beats Rays 5-1
SEATTLE – Randy Arozarena misses being a member of the Tampa Bay Rays. It’s obvious from the wistful look on his face when he talked about playing against them over the next few days at T-Mobile Park. And the time spent in the visiting clubhouse before Monday’s series opener.
It’s the organization where we quickly established himself as a big -league player and a clutch performer with a brilliant record-setting postseason in 2020.
But after being traded to the Mariners three weeks ago, Arozarena also made it very clear that he wanted to perform well and beat his former team, perhaps showing them just what they traded away.
Asked on Sunday, if he thought his former manager Kevin Cash would have pitchers give him anything to hit, Arozarena, speaking through interpreter Freddy Llanos said, “No, not going to want to give me anything, but I’m still going to try and hit a homer.”
Given his recent slump that included three hits in his last 45 plate appearances, it might’ve been an audacious hope. But it’s also the sort of situation where Arozarena wills himself to success.
He made good on his announced intentions, smacking a three-run homer in the third inning to help provide an inordinate amount of run support for starter Bryce Miller, who turned in a brilliant performance as the Mariners cruised to a drama-free 5-1 victory.
With the win and the Astros losing to the Phillies on a walk-off single from Bryce Miller, the Mariners moved 3.5 games back of Houston in the American League West.
With the scored tied at 1-1, the Mariners took advantage of a miscue by one of their former players to extend the third inning and get Arozarena to the plate.
Third baseman Jose Caballero, who was traded to Tampa in the offseason for Luke Raley, misplayed Julio Rodriguez’s two-out groundball, allowing it go under his glove. Seattle got another break when Cal Raleigh’s squibber of a groundball that hit off the end of his bat somehow had enough pace and spin to stay fair, hitting the third -base bag for an infield single.
Arozarena stepped to the plate for the second time in the game, having struck out off Rays starter Ryan Pepiot to start the second inning.
When Pepiot left a first-pitch cutter up and on the outer half of the plate, Arozarena pounced on the hit, sending a fly ball over the wall in right field for his second homer as a member of the Mariners.
Seattle tacked on another run in the fourth inning on Leo Rivas’ RBI single.
Five runs were more than enough support for Miller, who pitched seven innings, allowing one run on two hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts.
Both hits came off the bat of Josh Lowe, who hit a solo homer in the top of the second and singled off him in the fifth.
Santos, Garcia remain outDon’t expect late-inning relief help for the Mariners any time soon.
The Mariners had hoped to have right-handed relievers Gregory Santos and Yimi Garcia available off the injured list for a late-season stretch run, but it’s unclear when — or even if — either of them will be healthy enough to pitch again, general manager Justin Hollander said.
The outlook for Garcia is a little more encouraging, though that speaks more to the ambiguity surrounding Santos’ injury saga.
The 34-year-old Garcia, acquired in a trade-deadline deal with Toronto in late July, landed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation on Friday (retroactive to Aug. 20).
Garcia is eligible to return Sept. 4, but that sounds highly unlikely. While with the Blue Jays, Garcia landed on the IL in June with similar elbow soreness.
He has yet to restart a throwing program.
“We would hope to have him back at some point in September, but can’t say for sure,” Hollander said. “It’s too early right now to put an exact date or anything on it, but he’ll resume throwing this week.”
Santos missed the first half of the season because of a right latissimus dorsi strain in his back. He made his Mariners debut on July 9 at San Diego — with one scoreless inning — but made just five more appearances in July before being shut down with biceps inflammation.
He returned to the IL on Aug. 2.
Santos is rehabbing at the Mariners’ complex in Arizona and he has resumed throwing, but Hollander did not sound optimistic about an impending return for the right-hander.
Hollander said he did not believe the back strain and the biceps issue were related.
“We don’t have any reason to believe it’s a kinetic chain issue, that they’re connected at all,” Hollander said. “I think he’s very frustrated right now. Everybody saw, in the limited time he had on the major-league stage, (that) he really loves to compete. He loves being out there. He loves the adrenaline of being the guy that goes out there and shuts it down
“We saw that in San Diego — the release from him, just the energy that he brings, and to not have felt good for a variety of different reasons this year, I think, is very frustrating. But we don’t have any reason to believe that any of them are connected, which I think in some way makes it more frustrating.”
Crawford expected back
After playing in two rehab games with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers over the weekend, J.P. Crawford took a handful of at-bats against Mariners’ minor-league pitchers in a simulated game.
Crawford, out since July 23 with a right hand fracture, said he expects to be activated this week, perhaps as early as Wednesday.