Griffin Floyd
The Seattle Mariners won Game 3 of their American League Division Series matchup with the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, Oct. 7, winning 8-4 on the road as they got into Detroit’s bullpen early and came up with timely hits, going 4-for-9 with runners in scoring position. The Mariners hit three home runs, including one from MVP candidate Cal Raleigh, and led by as much as 8-1 before Detroit plated three runners in the bottom of the ninth in a fruitless attempt at a comeback.
Here are the winners and losers as the Mariners pushed the Tigers to the brink of elimination in Game 3.
Winner: Logan Gilbert
Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert allowed just four hits and one earned across six innings pitched, striking out seven batters on an economical 85 pitches. Gilbert didn’t allow any walks and gave up just one extra base hit, a two-out double.
The Tigers were only able to get to him via small ball, needing a hit by pitch and two productive outs, a bunt and a fielders’ choice, to plate their lone run against Gilbert, and even that barely scored as Seattle attempted to turn a double play and end the inning. All in all, Detroit went 1-for-8 with runners on base against Gilbert. With a low pitch count, he could’ve pitched the seventh inning against the bottom of the Tigers lineup if needed.
Winner: J.P. Crawford
Shortstop and No. 9 hitter J.P Crawford went 2-for-2 with a single, a home run, a walk and a sacrifice fly, making it on base to help the top of the Mariners lineup do damage. His sixth inning home run chased reliever Brant Hurter, who mowed through 1.2 innings on 13 pitches prior to that point, out of the game.
Crawford accounted for three of the Mariners eight runs and has a .333/.364/.667 slash line through three games this postseason, excellent for any athlete… much less a nine-hole hitter.
Loser: Jack Flaherty
Tigers starter Jack Flaherty managed just 3.1 innings as Seattle tagged him for three earned runs. Flaherty struggled with efficiency, walking three batters and needing 76 pitches to complete his day: even if he hadn’t gotten the hook soon after allowing a fourth inning home run to Eugenio Suárez, he probably couldn’t have completed more than another inning.
A second inning leadoff double turned into two runs for the Mariners and, although Flaherty did pick up six strikeouts in his limited action, helping to keep the damage from spiraling, the Tigers needed a better performance in a pivotal Game 3.
Loser: Tigers Timely Hitting
Seattle (8) had just one more hit than Detroit (7), but the Mariners made the most of their opportunities, hitting three home runs and going 4-for-9 with runners in scoring position. That’s a deceptive final line, as three of the Tigers’ hits came in the ninth inning with the game well out of hand, and Detroit went 1-for-8 with runners on base heading into the final frame.
The Mariners also benefited from two Detroit errors, scoring three runs following those plays. If Seattle put on a show of clutch hits and came up with big plays when needed, the Tigers did the exact opposite, falling into a 2-1 series deficit at home.
