Mariners notes: Moonshot homers set up Suarez’s no-doubt, extra-inning walk-off

The high, towering rainbow off Julio Rodriguez’s bat first appeared to be a first-inning-ending fly out at T-Mobile Park, the last of a clean frame for Pittsburgh starter Luis Ortiz.

Rodriguez went way up to get Ortiz’s hanging slider atop the strike zone, launched 43 degrees at nearly 108 mph, per Statcast. Pirates outfielder Connor Joe drifted to the warning track — then the wall — before leaping and missing the blast by inches.

J-Rod rounded second base and pointed to the sky as fireworks ignited overhead. He had muscled his ninth home run of the season, one that proved even more vital when Ortiz settled in and Seattle starter Marco Gonzales navigated traffic to put runs at a considerable premium. Only former Mariner Kyle Seager ever launched a home run higher – 44 degrees – in T-Mobile Park’s history.

But Rodriguez’s captivating, moonshot homer on Sunday was soon matched by Cal Raleigh in the fourth inning. Seattle’s catcher took Ortiz deep from the left side of the plate, an equally towering drive that just extended beyond the right field wall. And Raleigh lifted it 43 degrees.

“I like trending in the direction our offense is going, and certainly, that’s driven by Julio. … Guys at the top of the lineup are starting to roll,” manager Scott Servais said Sunday morning. “If you want to win a lot of games, your best hitters need to hit.”

But in an outing where Marco Gonzales surrendered one run over 5 1/3 innings, Seattle’s bullpen handed back a 3-1 lead and allowed Pittsburgh to reach extras.

Seattle’s skipper perhaps foreshadowed more than the pair of towering blasts. With two outs in the tenth, Eugenio Suarez delivered Seattle’s third and most-important moonshot of the afternoon.

Suarez oblierated a rocket off Pirates reliever Robert Stephenson, which touched down over T-Mobile Park’s home bullpen for a walk-off, three-run home run.

There was no doubt. Stephenson turned to watch the blast, his teammates only able to do the same.

With teammates awaiting his arrival at home, Seattle’s third baseman was the final run in a 6-3 victory.

Mariners reliever Tayler Saucedo provided a crucial relief performance in the top half of the 10th, striking out the side without damage when Pittsburgh baserunners stood on the corners.

A day earlier, Luis Castillo surrendered a line-drive double to Pirates infielder Tucupita Marcano on his first pitch. But ‘La Piedra’ instantly became untouchable. He evaded first-inning damage and devastated Pittsburgh’s lineup through six innings, allowing only Marcano’s double with two walks and 10 strikeouts.

Seattle jumped on Pirates starter Vince Velasquez for three early runs and Julio Rodriguez later extended the lead with an RBI double in the second inning — plus a nifty, feet-first slide home on a sacrifice fly in the seventh, directly under Pittsburgh catcher Jason Delay.

“(Luis) just went to work like he normally would,” Rodriguez said after Castillo’s shutout and the Mariners won, 5-0. “We all know how good his stuff is. He just put it on display.

“It’s amazing. That’s who he is.”

The victories over the weekend combined for a series win, despite Seattle’s 11-6 loss on Friday night. The Mariners are 28-25, now three games over .500 for the first time this season. Rodriguez’s big Sunday, meanwhile, improved the 22-year-old to 14-for-30 (.467) with two home runs and seven RBI in his last seven games.

“He wants to be the guy leading the team up the hill, holding the flag, so to speak, ‘follow me,’” Servais said. “We’re starting to see it come together, and it just changes our team. From the energy level, to what you’re seeing on the field… he’s fun to watch. He’s got that certain… the it-factor, if you want to call it that, about him.”

Seattle trails AL West-leading Texas (33-19) by 5.5 games, and concludes a 10-game homestand with the New York Yankees (Monday-Wednesday).

IN QUICK RETURN, FRANCE BLASTS TWO HOMERS

Ty France sauntered, casually, into T-Mobile Park’s interview room on Friday night, moments after Seattle’s first baseman crushed two home runs and the Mariners capped a four-game sweep of Oakland.

His opening remarks: “(My wrist) is really OK.”

Two nights before, no one would have predicted such a performance for France, who collapsed to the ground and writhed in pain after taking a fastball to the wrist. Oakland reliever and Washington native Trevor May threw the wayward offering on Tuesday night, which ignited the hometown crowd against him.

It was May’s first appearance since returning from the 15-day injured list, and on a mound he first appeared on in 2008, when his Kelso Hilanders appeared in the WIAA 3A state championship game at then-Safeco Field. Three batters later, May plunked Suarez, only exacerbating the outrage.

“If you gave me, maybe, a million guesses on how (my first inning back) was gonna go… I wouldn’t have guessed those things,” May told reporters after the game. “I don’t know Ty or Suarez, personally, but… I know they’re good dudes.

“You don’t want anyone to have to miss any time because you’re not very sharp.”

Seattle avoided disaster when postgame testing on France’s wrist were negative. Servais rested France for a single game, but quickly reinserted him back into the lineup Thursday night.

“They know when they’re ready to go. You have to trust (your players), and I do,” Servais said. “They know their body better than I know their body, for sure.”

And on cue, France got his revenge. Going for a four-game sweep over the struggling A’s, he crushed near-identical homers into Edgar’s Cantina in left field. The latter was a sixth-inning blast off May, another fastball that France went inside to get.

“In my pregame work, I’ve been getting on-time for in-tight stuff,” France said. They’ve been hammering me (inside). My strength is when I’m going the opposite way, but if they’re going to attack me in, I’ve got to prepare for it.”

The homers provided Seattle its only run support until the eighth, when Suarez drew a game-inning, bases-loaded walk and scored France from third. The first baseman sported a wrist guard in his return – admittedly “a little uncomfortable” – but not nearly discomforting enough to prevent the firework show.

“I tried not to hit the (Edgar’s) sign, because I don’t want to break the sign. Mr. Edgar would be upset,” France said Thursday, smirking.

Another wayward pitch clipped the brim of France’s batting helmet in Friday’s series opener with Pittsburgh, again knocking him to the ground. He was unscathed; still, his ninth hit-by-pitch this season tied him for second-most in MLB.

France’s 59th hit-by-pitch in a Mariners uniform is the fourth-most in club history, 30 shy of club leader Edgar Martinez (89).

SHORT HOPS

– In the midst of Seattle’s late rally to beat Oakland on Friday night, third baseman Eugenio Suarez required a bathroom break well before his eighth-inning at-bat.

Or so he thought. When three-hitter Julio Rodriguez lasered a double on his first offering – and A’s reliever Garrett Acton intentionally walked Jarred Kelenic to load the bases – Suarez was quickly at bat, and in the game’s most crucial moment with two outs and the bases loaded in a tie game.

But Suarez had never faced or seen Acton, nor did he know the young reliever’s arsenal.

Servais only had time to tell Suarez three words: “Go play baseball.”

Suarez hunted a hittable fastball but never found one, needing only five pitches to draw the game-winning walk. His bathroom break proved rather inconsequential.

“Sometimes, that happens,” Servais said, smiling. “It seems like it happens to Geno more than others, but it worked out OK.”

– Dylan Moore (core) started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday and could return to the Mariners before the conclusion of their 10-game homestand.

Moore drove in three runs and collected three hits on Friday night at Cheney Stadium. He ripped a bases-loaded, two-run single to left field in the ninth inning, part of a late rally that fell one run short against Triple-A Las Vegas.

In two games this week, Moore went 4-for-10 with one walk and three RBI.

Yet to appear with Seattle this season, Moore initially hit the injured list on March 29 with a left oblique strain and joined High-A Everett on a rehab assignment on April 18. But he felt discomfort after just one game and needed another month off before appearing again for the AquaSox on May 18.

The absence allowed second baseman Kolten Wong to log everyday at-bats, before rookie infielder Jose Caballero emerged and now commands time at the position. Moore’s imminent return should bolster the bottom third of Seattle’s lineup and provide top-tier production versus lefty pitching (.393 OBP vs. LHP in 2022).