'Angry' Kirby, energetic lineup help Mariners get back on track

PITTSBURGH -- George Kirby sat in the visitors' clubhouse at PNC Park on Sunday morning, earbuds firmly attached as dubstep tunes played loudly and aggressively while he lurched into his locker. But behind him, the throwbacks of Stevie Wonder and Daryl Hall & John Oates played softly on the speakers as the rest of the Mariners arrived seeking to snap a five-game losing streak.

Kirby intended to pitch “pissed off” after arguably the worst outing of his career, while Seattle’s position players planned to play more free and at ease than they had during this rough road trip -- a stark dichotomy, but one that worked for both the individual and rest of the group.

Kirby carved his way through the Pirates for a quality start and a huge bounceback, while the Mariners’ lineup lifted him by registering a hit from each of its starting nine for the first time this year. And on the heels of what’s been maybe its worst week of the season, Seattle ran away to a 10-3 win that was as dominant as it was needed.

“That's how these guys are wired,” manager Scott Servais said. “That's why I love them so much. I really do. They care. They continue to work. And they're not always getting the results they want, but they handle the hard times, and you've got to keep pushing forward.”

It started during Sunday’s hitters meeting, where Justin Turner spoke up about where Seattle stands with just six weeks remaining in the regular season. The 39-year-old veteran has only played 14 games with his new teammates after coming over in a Trade Deadline deal with Toronto, but his pedigree carries credibility.

Shortly after, as the players took the field, Julio Rodríguez legged out an infield single in the first inning, though his high right ankle sprain is still not 100 percent healed given his lengthy deceleration and wincing body language after he reached. But that hustle proved vital, as Cal Raleigh immediately followed with a tone-setting two-run homer.

And from there, the Mariners were off and running.

“It was just more life, more energy,” Turner said. “Obviously, offense breeds energy. ... I think there's an old saying in baseball that 'hitting is contagious.' I think it's true. And also, not hitting is contagious as well.”

After hitting .139 through the first five games of this trip, the Mariners went 13-for-39 (.333) on Sunday.

Josh Rojas and Dominic Canzone each crushed solo homers, advancing the Mariners to 12-0 this season when they hit at least three. But stringing together timely hits -- and passing the baton with three walks and two hit-by-pitches -- was just as key.

Such was the case in the second inning, when Rojas and Leo Rivas each reached and then Victor Robles, who is still nursing a left hip flexor injury, drove them in with a double to the left-field wall. Robles did so in a full count after falling behind 0-2.

Then in the fourth, Rivas and Robles were on base when Rodríguez hit a 105.1 mph chopper that led to an error from Pirates third baseman Jared Triolo, which allowed a run to score. Luke Raley kept that rally alive with a sac fly, giving the Mariners -- and Kirby -- a seven-run lead.

“I just tried to put last week behind me, take a couple of things, learn from it,” Kirby said of Monday’s outing in Detroit, when he surrendered a career-high 11 runs (only six of which were earned). “Today, I just tried to pitch angry.”

Kirby’s aggressive demeanor has been well-chronicled, though he’s channeled it much better this season via a pointed effort. But Sunday’s start was necessary to bring back “Furious George.”

“I feel like I've had a lot of learning lessons from pitching pissed off,” Kirby said. “It's hard to do that for like a whole day coming to the ballpark, listening to dubstep in my ear or whatever. So I think you've just got to pick and choose your spots to get pissed off and really execute, bear down. Besides that, just be calm and relaxed and just try not to think too much.”

Most games aren’t going to yield this type of dominance -- it is the big leagues, after all. But for a team that desperately needed a spark, Sunday’s outcome couldn’t have been better.

“We know there are win streaks, losing streaks, but you have a job to do every day,” Raleigh said. “And we get paid very well to come here and play as hard as we can and be prepared. ... We’ve got to keep it going.”