J.P. Crawford hit a grand slam, Bryce Miller struck out nine batters in six innings, and the Seattle Mariners defeated the Los Angeles Angels 9-0 on Saturday.
Miller (5-5) gave up only three hits for the Mariners, who are leading the AL West on June 1 for the first time since 2003. They have won seven straight home series and six of their last seven games. Seattle (33-27) is six games over .500, its highest point of the season.
Manager Scott Servais commented, “That was a fun ballgame, it really was.” Seattle managed nine hits, with three coming from Julio Rodríguez, and hit two home runs. This came a day after bench coach and offensive coordinator Brant Brown was fired.
“I think we’re just freeing things up,” Servais said, “and I know that it’s been a point of emphasis over the last couple of days. Let’s free these players up, let’s talk about and really focus on what they do well and playing to their strengths.”
Miller allowed leadoff singles in the first and second innings but tightened up his pitching, allowing just one more hit and no runners past second base for the rest of the game.
“It was the second inning, I don’t know where the fastball went, but I lost it,” Miller said. “I guess it fell out of my pocket or something, but we found it between innings.”
This was Miller’s 11th game with six or more innings and three or fewer hits allowed in his second year. It was also his ninth time this season holding an opponent to two or fewer earned runs. The Mariners now lead the major leagues with 36 quality starts.
Three relievers finished up, allowing only six hits. The Mariners have a strong record of 29-12 when their starters pitch six or more innings.
Angels starter Reid Detmers (3-6) set up Crawford’s fourth-inning slam with two walks, loading the bases. He gave up four hits and five earned runs with three strikeouts and four walks in 3 2/3 innings.
After the game, Detmers was sent down to Triple-A Salt Lake.
Crawford, not known for his power, is known for his confidence. He had little doubt he would produce runs in his fourth-inning at-bat. Since the start of 2023, he’s batting .650 with three grand slams and 34 RBIs with the bases loaded.
“I was just trying to be quick to the ball and not do too much,” Crawford said. “He threw me (a curveball) on the previous at-bat before and I got a feel for it, then just reacted and it went over. Thankfully, the roof was closed.”
