Gonzales steps up, but duel downs Mariners

SEATTLE -- Marco Gonzales was back to being himself over seven innings of one-run ball against the defending World Series champion Dodgers on Tuesday. But his counterpart, Julio Urías, had just a little bit more, and the Mariners dropped the two-game series finale, 1-0, in a stirring pitchers’ duel under cloudless blue skies at T-Mobile Park.

• Box score

The Mariners mustered only one hit -- a third-inning single from Mitch Haniger -- against the left-handed Urías, who racked up a career-high 11 strikeouts and looked the sharpest he has since recording the final out of last year’s World Series.

Despite the loss, the Mariners retained first place in the American League West heading into Wednesday’s off-day.

Gonzales, who entered the day with an 8.22 ERA over his first three starts, allowed just three hitters to reach base, all in the third inning: a leadoff double from AJ Pollock, a walk by Austin Barnes and a two-out RBI single from Corey Seager. Then, the Mariners’ No. 1 starter proceeded to retire each of his final 13 batters.

“You love the tempo back and forth,” Gonzales said. “Julio was throwing the ball great. And [I was] just trying to go out there and match him every inning.

“I welcomed a great test today. We got the defending champs in here, and in both games, we really stepped up and played great against these guys. Competitive team, great lineup, and top to bottom, those guys can really swing it, so it was a good test.”

The outing was a welcome sign for a rotation that has already lost James Paxton to season-ending surgery and saw Nick Margevicius exit his start on Sunday with left arm fatigue. Gonzales also spelled the taxed bullpen from pitching more than two innings on Tuesday. And a scoreless frame apiece from Casey Sadler and Keynan Middleton lowered the Mariners’ relief ERA to 2.27, fourth best in the Majors.

Sadler overcame one walk and leaned on a 1-4-3 double play to retire the side in order, while Middleton overcame two free passes and punctuated his outing with a called punchout to Max Muncy that kept it a one-run game for the top of the Mariners’ lineup against Kenley Jansen in the bottom of the ninth.

So even though the Mariners’ bats went down quietly, there were a lot of positives to unpack from Tuesday -- especially when considering the health of Kyle Lewis, who was activated off the 10-day IL, and Ty France, who pinch-hit one day after exiting early when hit by a 98.4 mph pitch.

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“We’re playing good baseball,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “You're going to have days like today where you don't get many hits at all; you’ve got to try to scratch it out. We did miss a couple opportunities there late. We just couldn't get much going offensively. But really, you have to tip your hat to the pitching they threw at us today.”

Seattle’s dazzling defense was again on display, too, with Dylan Moore making a remarkable catch for the second straight day. Back at second base on Tuesday, Moore spelled Gonzales from dealing with more damage in the third by snagging a 107.8 mph line drive from Chris Taylor that was headed straight up the middle. Moore had a game-saving diving catch at third base in Monday’s win.

Kyle Seager also made a critical throw to nab Taylor at the plate in the ninth inning to keep the score close. And J.P. Crawford continued to make a case for his second straight Gold Glove Award with a nifty inning-ending glove flip to first baseman Evan White in the second.

“I've been impressed with these guys all year long,” Gonzales said. “And credit [infield coach] Perry Hill -- ‘Bone’ -- for getting these guys riled. They're really out there grinding every day, putting in the work, and it's showing. What you're seeing right now is just a testament to the work that they're putting in.”

The Mariners’ five-game homestand -- against two clubs that reached the League Championship Series last October -- presented plenty to hang their hats on, even if their opponents were banged up. The Dodgers were without Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger and Gavin Lux on Tuesday. Seattle’s two losses against Los Angeles and Houston came in 1-0 games, both against elite starting pitching in Urías and Zack Greinke on Saturday.

The Mariners have had a knack for fast starts that stall out, most notably in 2019, when they began 13-2 but finished in last place in the division. But this season’s 11-7 start certainly has more credibility.