The Mariners take it easy for once, picking up a 14-2 win to open the series against the White Sox

After subjecting their fans to a needlessly sexy series against the royals, then a real-life thriller campaign against the haters. AstrosTonight, the Mariners decided to take it easy on their fan base, claiming a 14-2 win over… white stockings, perhaps the only group of people more beleaguered than Mariners fans this season. This fourteen innings is a season-high, buoyed greatly by a two-home run night from Cal Raleigh, and resurgent after a 1-for-11 and six-strikeout weekend against the Astros.

The Mariners jumped on White Sox outfielder Toki Toussaint early tonight, which makes me sad because I love Toki and always want the best for him, but also happy because I’m so happy to see the Mariners look better and really keep the momentum going. A stuttering start, which they did badly at the start of the season, but they’ve been much better lately. By the time many of the fans were still settling down with their snacks and drinks (and by that I mean Mariners fans; by the looks of it, there weren’t long lines at Guaranteed Price Field tonight) the Mariners had knocked Toussaint out for five runs, starting with the captain himself, J. B. Crawford, who’s back from concussion protocol and back to his tough ways. JP walked and Eugenio followed with a four-pitch walk of his own, setting up Ty France’s single to load the bases. A wild pitch moved all the runners and gave the Mariners their first run of the night, but then Cal Raleigh hit the first night of Big Dumps:

But wait, there will be more. After Cade Marlowe made a walk, he stole second, then Cal was able to come home on Grandal’s layup—which, if it had been on the line and in time, would have gotten Marlowe to second for the third time, ending the inning. But it wasn’t and it wasn’t: The Story of the White Sox 2023. Then Mike Ford walked, and Josh Rojas enjoyed his RBI single. Yes, they’re the Royals and the White Sox, but it’s nice to see Rojas start to swing the bat with more confidence after the scrimmage that happened after he came on.

The sailors did not give up either. While we saw this team pin big innings on early starters only to get their feet off the gas, the Mariners kept traffic on the bases against Tucson and the White Sox, finally grabbing the load in the fifth with some back-to-back jacks:

But the Mariners wouldn’t be kinder to the White Sox. Mike Ford almost hit another home run in the same inning off reliever Tanner Banks, but Louis Robert remains a very good, tall fielder. (How much of a good defensive player is just being tall enough to reach an extra base without sacrificing speed? Are outfielders equivalent to those of us who are told to take things off the top shelf at grocery stores? And yes that is a tall #humble person)

However, Tanner Banks, whose name sounds like an unknown resort in Sandals, wouldn’t escape this game unscathed, as Josh Rojas hit him with a two-run double in the sixth inning. A single from Suarez moved him to No. 3, then Ty France weekly (every two weeks? Which one means twice a week?) HBP loaded the bases for Tioskar, who would have cleaned up those pesky bases and sent all the party guests home early if not for Ty France , otherwise known as lingerer:

That officially pushed this game into the laughter territory, 9-1, but Cal Raleigh really wanted to make sure there was no doubt that maybe they could get a half night at least:

Once again, my apologies to Brent Honeywell, the pitcher I supported through all the health problems he faced; I feel bad for Honeywell, but this is massive Mariners content:

Jose Caballero will make sure every White Sox pitcher the Mariners touches will be their kingdom, plus Josh Rojas’ RBI single scores – on base again! — in the top of the ninth to give the Mariners their 14th home run. After Scioscia poisoning / Karl Frederiksen without a redemption bracket / Disgraced former Angels manager Joe Maddon went to the MLB Network this morning and He filled his diaper for Cappy, It was very satisfying to see Cabb do Cabby things as usual: get HBP, screw in the pitcher, and generally be a pest. It’s really this comic web:

With the Mariners hanging for double-digit runs, Luis Castillo was all right to have, but he, being a La Piedra, was more than that: He gave the Mariners seven innings, enough where they could use a pair of pitchers who were fielding Places like Salt Lake and Reno a few days ago, to wrap up the game: Edward Buzzardo trained a few hits and a walk, scored two runs to score zero, Darren McCaughan got a bit unlucky, gave up the run. But cross out three.

But the story is actually Castillo, who scored nine goals and gave up only one run in the first half, when Elvis Andros, the Mariners’ certified kicker, took a double and came on to score a double from Eloy Jimenez, Mysteriously posted by Dominique Canzon. Cami to Kanzon, come in. But as is often his wont, Castillo “let the game talk to him” and settled into a rhythm, rocking the White Sox to sleep through the subsequent innings. As the Mariners’ lead grew like the Grinch’s heart that day, Raleigh began to demand more and more fastballs, and he finished with 47 consecutive fastballs:

Look, why mess with anything else if you can just throw a fastball, get a fast AB, and move on. My favorite place for breakfast is Easy Street Records in West Seattle, and while I love trying different dishes on the menu, all named after music superstars, I always just come back to Dolly’s: a perfect plate of two pancakes (I get blueberries), two eggs, and two slices of Bacon. It is not broken, not repaired, etc.

Speaking of not broken: Cady Marlowe’s defense on the court, which helped Castillo early on before settling into that rocking chair. It was Marlowe’s first big-league start at center, and he was doing so in an unfamiliar position, but he looked very comfortable nonetheless:

Per Daniel Kramer, The probability of catching that hit was 35%, so, not entirely impossible, but definitely still a high level of difficulty.

And because this is the season that we’re doing these things, if you’re watching the scoreboard, the… red socks No help was expected against the Astros (and you, Big Maple?), but the D-Backs won a thriller in extras against the Rangers; Former Mariner Kettle Marty came back to tie the game, and Paul Seewald pitched a scoreless tenth inning. I will always love you, my father. Sorry for the late feed. I’ve also been watching this game and chewing on what’s left of my nails, which I’ve already bitten off from the first two episodes of this wild ride. Mariners Baseball: Even when it’s easy, it’s not easy!

Also, since I couldn’t get this into the chart, I congratulate LL Emeritus Matthew Roberson on this parting pic of the game player today:

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