SEATTLE — In a pitching matchup that lived as much as the hype, George Kirby outlasted Paul Skenes to mix on the Mariners’ third consecutive shutout of the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 1-0 victory Sunday afternoon at T-Cellular Park.
It’s the primary time in franchise historical past the Mariners have posted three straight shutouts.
Randy Arozarena hit one other dwelling run — his sixth in seven days to conclude the homestand — off Pirates reliever Carmen Mlodzinski for the sport’s solely run within the sixth inning.
Skenes narrowly escaped a first-inning jam when middle fielder Oneil Cruz threw out J.P. Crawford on the plate. The Pirates’ 23-year-old pitching phenom was practically untouchable after that, ending with 5 shutout innings, with 5 hits allowed, no walks and 10 strikeouts.
Kirby was even higher.
The Mariners’ 27-year-old right-hander pitched into the seventh inning for simply the second time this season, scattering 4 hits over 6 1/3 scoreless innings.
Kirby struck out 9 with no walks, and left to a standing ovation from a lot of the gang of 35,174 after supervisor Dan Wilson made a name to the bullpen with one out within the seventh.
Mariners pitchers haven’t allowed a run in 29 straight innings.
After lacking the primary two months of the season due to shoulder irritation, Kirby has settled in properly.
He has allowed simply two runs in his previous three begins, with a 17-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his final 18 1/3 innings.
And in seven begins since June 3, Kirby has a 2.68 ERA, with 42 strikeouts and 6 walks over 40 1/3 innings.
Carlos Vargas relieved Kirby and recorded the ultimate two outs of the seventh inning.
After Vargas allowed a leadoff single within the eighth, Gabe Speier got here in and struck out all three batters he confronted.
Andrés Muñoz picked up his twenty first save on the identical day he was named to his second AL All-Star crew.
The Mariners appeared like they have been going to take an early lead off Skenes within the first inning.
Crawford lined Skenes’ first pitch up the center for a single and superior to second when Skenes hit Cal Raleigh within the again foot with a first-pitch slider.
Jorge Polanco adopted with a line-drive single over the shortstop’s head. Crawford waited momentarily to ensure the road drive would drop within the outfield, then turned the nook at third and headed dwelling for what initially appeared like a positive run.
As a substitute, Cruz fired a missile dwelling proper on the right track to catcher Henry Davis.
Crawford failed to slip on the play — and Arozarena, the on-deck hitter, didn’t sign to Crawford to slip — and Davis utilized the tag on runner’s leg simply earlier than Crawford touched the plate.
The out name was upheld after the umpires’ evaluation.
Dominic Canzone was 3 for 3. He had two singles off Skenes, the primary hitter to file a number of hits off Skenes since Might 28.
Three extra Mariners get All-Star name
Cal Raleigh may have acquainted firm on the MLB All-Star Sport subsequent week in Atlanta.
Julio Rodríguez, Bryan Woo and Andrés Muñoz have been chosen as American League reserves for the MLB All-Star Sport on July 15 at Atlanta’s Truist Park.
The 4 picks are essentially the most for the Mariners since 2018, when Mitch Haniger, Nelson Cruz, Edwin Diaz and Jean Segura made the AL crew.
Raleigh, the major-league dwelling run chief within the midst of a historic season, was named the AL beginning catcher Wednesday. Raleigh can even take part within the Dwelling Run Derby for the primary time July 14, along with his dad and little brother set to assist him.
Rodríguez, 24, is an All-Star for the third time in his first 4 major-league seasons. He has had his traditional up-and-down first half on the plate, hitting .247 with 11 homers, 43 RBI and a .694 OPS in 398 plate look.
And due to that, some may discover his All-Star choice a bit shocking, however Rodríguez does rank as top-of-the-line defensive middle fielders in MLB and his Baseball Reference WAR of three.4 ranks fourth amongst AL outfielders.
It’s the primary All-Star choice for the 25-year-old Woo, who threw six shutout innings Friday night time in opposition to the Pirates to decrease his ERA to 2.77. He ranks among the many AL leaders in most pitching classes.
It’s the second choice for Muñoz, the Mariners’ nearer who recorded his twentieth save in a 1-0 victory Saturday night time and ranks No. 1 amongst AL relievers with a 1.09 ERA.
“I’m just really excited to go again, to pitch and to represent my team,” Muñoz stated Sunday morning. “ … I am happy for them, too. Especially for Woo. He deserves it. Everybody deserves it, obviously. But especially for him, because he gets to be there for the first time, and I’m happy for him. It’s an awesome experience and we just have to enjoy this.”
Muñoz is simply the second Mariners aid pitcher to earn a number of All-Star picks. Kazuhiro Sasaki, in 2001 and ‘02, was the primary.
Muñoz didn’t pitch within the 2024 All-Star Sport in Texas. He hopes for the prospect to take action subsequent week.
And, sure, he and his spouse, Wendy, plan to convey their now-famous cat, Matilda, with them to Atlanta.
“Of course she’s going. She’s going with me everywhere,” he stated with a smile.
Muñoz is planning to fly in his household from Los Mochis, Mexico, to Atlanta for the All-Star Sport, too. Final yr, his two older bothers, Miguel and Helmer, drove some 1,400 miles and 27 hours in a Kia sedan to see their little brother on the sport in Texas.
The prospect to characterize Mexico, Muñoz stated, is especially particular within the All-Star Sport.
“I’m really proud of being Mexican … and it makes me very excited that Mexico’s name is in the All-Star Game,” he stated.
