Bryce Miller pitched six innings to continue his strong performances against NL teams, Julio Rodriguez made a standout defensive play, and the Seattle Mariners defeated the San Diego Padres 2-0 on Wednesday.
Jorge Polanco contributed to both runs as the Mariners, leading the AL West, swept the two-game series, handing the Padres their fourth consecutive loss.
Miller (7-7) has now compiled a 4-1 record with a 1.98 ERA in six starts against NL opponents. He kept the Padres scoreless for over six innings for the fourth time this season.
“It was a bit of an unusual game. I was throwing strikes and they were hitting ground balls,” Miller commented. “Overall, I’m pleased with how it went. I gave us a chance, and I’ll take all the soft contact. If not for that long second inning, I could have gone a bit longer.”
Rodríguez, who had four hits and a home run the previous night, struck out four times in this game.
However, he made a crucial defensive play in the second inning by throwing out Donovan Solano at home plate on Ha-Seong Kim’s fly ball from deep center field. Rodríguez’s throw bounced once near the pitcher’s mound before catcher Cal Raleigh tagged out Solano sliding into home.
Despite loading the bases with one out in the second inning, the Padres failed to score.
“Going into today’s game, I felt it would be low-scoring, and we needed to outpitch them,” said Mariners manager Scott Servais. “The play Julio made in the second inning really lifted our spirits.”
In the ninth inning, San Diego mounted a final threat. Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado walked and advanced to second and third on Donovan Solano’s groundout. However, Jackson Merrill struck out, and David Peralta lined out to shortstop J.P. Crawford, allowing Andrés Muñoz to secure his 15th save of the season as the Mariners held on for the win.
