9/20/26
(Denver, CO) The Seattle Mariners entered the weekend with their final road series of the season in front of them. With just nine games to go in the season, Seattle would need to be as close to perfect as possible and get some help with Texas and Houston collapsing to have hopes of reaching the postseason for the second year in a row. A series with the worst team in the sport in the Colorado Rockies would help but as we have learned over the month of September, nothing is a given in baseball.
Mariners 5, Rockies 4 (Game One, September 18th)
In the opener of the series, Seattle would have Bryan Woo in what would likely be his second to last start of the season. For Colorado, Gabriel Hughes would have the ball in a matchup that Seattle would clearly have the advantage in except for the X-factor that is Coors Field.
Seattle’s offense was hot out of the gate as they struck the young Colorado starter for three runs in the 1st. J.P. Crawford started the game with a bang and his 13th home run of the season. The M’s had three extra base hits out of the gate as Randy Arozarena and Dominic Canzone followed with doubles. Josh Naylor then came through with a two-out, two-run single to put up a crooked number and give Seattle a quick 3-0 lead.
Colorado would march back into this game slowly but steadily with consistent traffic on base. Cole Carrigg got them on the board with a two-out RBI single in the 1st, but Bryan Woo managed the traffic very well as Colorado was 1-8 with runners in scoring position in the first three innings. They would get closer on a Jake McCarthy RBI single in the 4th to make it 3-2 while Gabriel Hughes settled in very nicely and had a stretch of 11 in a row retired after the shaky 1st.
Seattle left the bases loaded in the 5th and squandered a Cole Young double in the 6th which allowed Colorado to hang around. The Rockies chased Bryan Woo in the 6th after a single by Ezequiel Tovar forced Dan Wilson to bring in Gabe Speier. The lefty was not on his game on Friday as an RBI triple by Jake McCarthy and a single by Connor Norby quickly flipped the script in this one. Fortunately, Seranthony Domínguez put out the fire with 1 1/3 scoreless innings while the offense answered back. A pinch hit double by Michael Arroyo, a sacrifice bunt by J.P. Crawford, and a sac fly by Dominic Canzone evened things up late at 4-4.
The rookies were out to play on Friday night and another Seattle rookie would have the big moment of the game. In the 9th, Lazaro Montes decided to put on a show for the Mile High City and did a very bad thing to a baseball. Montes obliterated a slider by Jordan Romano, crushing his fourth home run 426-feet to right to put the M’s back in front 5-4. That allowed Andrés Muñoz to pitch the 9th and while a single and a stolen base by Cole Carrigg put the tying run in scoring position with nobody out, Muñoz would pick him off to calm the storm. It was a three up, three down 9th for the 28th save of the year for Muñoz and Seattle took the opener from Colorado 5-4.
Notable Performances
Mariners
- Lazaro Montes- 1-4, HR, RBI, R, Go-Ahead Home Run in 9th
- Josh Naylor- 1-4, 2 RBI
- Bryan Woo (ND)- 5.1 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO
Rockies
- Jake McCarthy- 3-5, 3B, 2 RBI, R, SB
- Konnor Norby- 3-4, RBI, R, BB, SB
- Gabriel Hughes (ND)- 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO
Rockies 5, Mariners 3 (Game Two, September 19th)
In game two of the series, it would be Colorado having the advantage in terms of starting pitching experience, a reversal of game one. Bryce Miller would have the start again as Emerson Hancock is unlikely to pitch again this season. José Quintana would be the starter for Colorado in game two as the 18-year vet would try to even the series.
Seattle again started the game with some 1st inning offense. After two quick outs, Dominic Canzone worked a walk to put a runner on for the Big Dumper. Cal Raleigh maintained his hot final month of the season and crushed a two-run blast 459-feet for his 23rd of the season. The two-run shot put Seattle in front early again 2-0.
Randy Arozarena inched closer to a new career-high in homers with a solo shot in the 3rd for his 26th of the season to make it 3-0. The soon-to-be free agent has put together one of if not his best season of his career which is surely to get him paid. It seems unlikely that he will return to Seattle next season with the east coast teams likely to outbid the Mariners. Barring a surprise, Arozarena is entering his final week as a Mariner and has been such a fan favorite in his two and a half seasons.
A great catch by Cole Carrigg robbed Josh Naylor of a two-run double to end the top of the 3rd and Colorado built off of that momentum in their half of the inning. A couple of errors allowed Colorado to get on the board and make it 3-1 before things quieted down after that. Bryce Miller had a really nice outing on Saturday with not a single earned run allowed. Miller went 5 1/3 innings with only four hits and two walks allowed with six strikeouts. It was a great outing in a very tough park for pitchers which will give the right-hander something to build on going into the offseason.
Seattle hit into an unlucky double play on a line drive by Michael Arroyo which really seemed to be the turning point for Colorado. A run came in in the bottom of the 7th to make it 3-2 before TJ Rumfield tied the game with a single off of José A. Ferrer. Two batters later, Cole Carrigg completely changed the game with a two-run single. Three two-out runs gave Colorado the lead and the eventual win, 5-3.
Notable Performances
Mariners
- Cal Raleigh- 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R
- Randy Arozarena- 1-4, HR, RBI, R
- Bryce Miller (ND)- 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO
Rockies
- Cole Carrigg- 1-4, 2 RBI, Go-Ahead Two-Run Single in 7th
- TJ Rumfield- 2-4, RBI, R
- José Quintana (ND)- 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO
Mariners 2, Rockies 1 (Game Three, September 20th)
The Seattle Mariners closed out their series against the Colorado Rockies with a much-needed 2-1 victory Sunday afternoon, receiving a tremendous performance from rookie pitcher Kade Anderson and just enough offense to secure the win.
Anderson delivered the best start of his young major league career, tossing seven scoreless innings while allowing only three hits and striking out seven. Dominic Canzone provided all of Seattle’s offense, driving in both runs as the Mariners held off a late Colorado rally.
Kade Anderson delivered seven scoreless innings in Seattle’s 2-1 victory.
After a difficult start to his previous outings, Anderson responded with a dominant performance on the mound. The rookie kept the Rockies off the scoreboard through seven innings, issuing no walks and recording seven strikeouts.
His ability to limit Colorado’s offense gave Seattle the opportunity to win a low-scoring contest, with the Mariners’ pitching staff keeping the lead intact for most of the afternoon.
Seattle’s offense wasn’t overwhelming, but Dominic Canzone made his opportunities count.
Canzone drove in the Mariners’ first run in the fourth inning and added another RBI in the sixth, giving Seattle a 2-0 advantage. His production proved critical in a game where the Mariners finished with just four hits.
Colorado finally broke through in the ninth inning when Hunter Goodman launched a solo home run, his 39th of the season, cutting Seattle’s lead to 2-1.
The Mariners then faced a late challenge when closer Andrés Muñoz exited after allowing the home run and walking another batter. Eduard Bazardo stepped in and recorded two strikeouts to preserve the victory and earn his first save.
The win moved Seattle to 73-83 on the season and allowed the Mariners to avoid elimination from postseason contention. Seattle’s playoff hopes remained alive heading into its upcoming series against the Houston Astros.
While the offense continued to search for consistency, Anderson’s performance and the late-game relief effort gave the Mariners a crucial win as the regular season entered its final stretch.
Notable Performances
Mariners
- Kade Anderson (W, 2-2)- 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO
- Dominic Canzone- 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI
- J.P. Crawford- 1-4, R
Rockies
- Hunter Goodman- 1-4, HR, RBI, R
- Jake McCarthy- 1-4, 2B
- Tomoyuki Sugano (L, 12-11)- 5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO
What’s Next- Two games at home with Houston Astros
- Game One, Tuesday 6:40pm- Christian Javier (2-6, 5.31 ERA) vs. Logan Gilbert (12-10, 3.69 ERA)
- Game Two, Saturday 7:10pm (ESPN)- TBD vs. George Kirby (9-11, 4.24 ERA)
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