A victory in the series, the first success of Taylor Trammell’s career, dingers and some competent pitches. Honestly, what more could you want on a Saturday night?
Chris Flexen, on his debut at the Mariners – and first major league game since August 24, 2019 – rode through the former San Francisco Giants team for five entries, eliminating six and not allowing a race. He reached 95 and wielded his cutter with ease, but struggled with the command and the change in particular was … not pleasant. Could he have replicated this exit with minimal damage against a more formidable offensive enemy? Probably not, but for now everything is fine.
At the end of the third, after 21 baseball entries, with no dinger to speak, Ty France finally took pity on us and sent a laser to the bullpen.
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The Seattle attack continued to incorporate what Jerry Dipoto called “just walk and bend”, with Evan White, Trammell and Dylan Moore doubling consecutively in the fourth.
Kendall Graveman, who must have spent the previous entrances sniffing Pixie Stix and shooting Red Bull, came in sixth by launching 99 MPH heaters and evidently unfair side heaters, including this slider for Austin Slater that I would be happy to watch all night.
Two innings in Graveman’s domain were followed by a useful appearance by Anthony Misiewicz and an uneventful extended close-up by Rafael Montero.
And yes, among all that, Mitch Haniger hit his first MLB home run since “Old Town Road” topped the charts in the summer of 2019.
The trio of Graveman, Misiewicz and Montero is, in all probability, the best scenario coming out of the bullpen this season. The grove of appeasers gathered by Dipoto this season is arguably the weakest since taking over the team, and I think there will be a big point of variation in the outcome and the fun of the games, depending on which team is in charge of the final entries (see: Friday Monday, April 2, 2021).
Tonight’s game was satisfying, but nothing collectively mind-boggling: just nine solid, well-played baseball innings. But these ambiguous and semi-forgettable games add up. They are the bottom layer of the pyramid, the gaping concrete foundation of a house not yet built. Great things are coming (arrival time to be defined), and closing tonight was definitely a step in the right direction.