Mariners drop opener to Angels in extras, 4-3, despite ninth inning rally

A ninth-inning rally wasn’t enough for the playoff-hungry Mariners, who lost Friday night’s series opener to the Angels at T-Mobile Park despite a stellar outing from starter Robbie Ray.

Ty France tied the game with a two-run single when the Mariners were down to their final out in the ninth, but Los Angeles scored the game’s winning run on Taylor Ward’s sacrifice fly in the 10th.

“Up until that point, obviously, we didn’t get much going offensively at all,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “It was really a shame. I thought Robbie Ray was really good tonight.”

For much of Friday’s series opener, Seattle’s bats turned cold. Until the ninth inning, the Mariners couldn’t muster an extra-base hit. Until they were down to their final out, they couldn’t muster a run.

Ray began his outing with a pair of strikeouts to Ward and Shohei Ohtani, but surrendered a run in the opening frame. Luis Rengifo doubled with two outs and Jo Adell singled him home, giving the Angels an early 1-0 lead.

Drama unfolded with two outs in the top of the second, when Angels center fielder Magneuris Sierra lined a fair ball into the left field corner. Jesse Winker, in an attempt to field what set up to be a stand-up double, fell down, allowing Sierra to attempt a triple.

Ray said the ball took an interesting spin toward Winker in left, and upon connecting with the wall in foul territory, changed course.

“It almost reversed the spin on the ball. It was pretty wild,” Ray said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that.

“But defensively, credit to Jesse, getting up, getting the ball and throwing it in, and J.P. putting it right on the money and getting him out.”

Angels third base coach Mike Gallego never gave Sierra the stop sign. Instead, he wound his arm, encouraging the Angels infielder to attempt an inside-the-park home run. Winker recovered and hit cutoff man J.P. Crawford, who lasered the ball home to Cal Raleigh.

Los Angeles challenged the initial ruling, but the call was confirmed — out at the plate.

Ray settled in after Sierra’s triple-turned-out, posting a hitless third frame and scoreless fourth. He regularly mixed a four-seam fastball, sinker and slider, generating 23 swings and misses. No other pitcher managed more than Sandoval’s eight.

“He told (pitching coach Pete Woodworth) coming in, ‘I’m going to let (the fastball) eat tonight,’ ” Servais said of Ray. “And he did, right from the get-go.”

Ray saw upticks in velocity across each of his three primary pitches, including a four-seamer that came just shy of clocking 97 mph. Sierra’s triple in the second was Los Angeles’ last extra-base hit off of the reigning American League Cy Young winner for the remainder of the contest.

But Seattle’s offense couldn’t respond, either.

Abraham Toro poked Seattle’s first hit of the game through the right infield in the second, but Sandoval retired the next five batters. Crawford walked in the fourth, but was left stranded at first base.

Eugenio Suarez reached second base on a wild pitch in the first, and was Seattle’s last runner in scoring position until the fifth.

That’s when Toro singled again, and Sandoval hit Adam Frazier with a pitch to put two aboard with one out. But France grounded into a double play to end the threat. Clearly out on the relay, he spiked his helmet in frustration.

Ray pushed through the sixth, albeit without a single run of support. He struck out Ohtani swinging on a low-and-away slider to start the frame — the first time the Angels star has struck out three times by a single pitcher since April 22 — and worked around a two-out walk for another damage-free inning.

Some 42,654 fans at T-Mobile Park, many staying for the entirety of the contest to enjoy a postgame fireworks show, woke in the sixth only to watch a Mariners rally again fall short. Carlos Santana was hit by a pitch with one out — Sandoval’s second hit batter of the game — and Crawford followed with a single to right field.

Angels interim manager Phil Nevin had seen enough — Sandoval’s day was done after 5 1/3 innings. He surrendered three hits, no runs, and struck out five but walked four, tying a career-high.

“A lot of off-speed pitches, a lot of sliders to our right-handed hitters,” Servais said. “We couldn’t really get much going.”

Left-hander Aaron Loup entered and struck out Cal Raleigh looking. He walked Winker to load the bases with two outs, but induced a popup from Toro to hold the one-run lead.

Before first baseman Jared Walsh could catch Toro’s fly ball, T-Mobile Park groaned. Loup returned to pitch the seventh inning, and faced the minimum. Seattle couldn’t revive its home crowd.

Ray lasted seven frames, allowing only the first inning run on Adell’s RBI single. He threw 106 pitches — 71 for strikes — one shy of a season-high as a Saturday doubleheader looms for Seattle’s bullpen.

“Today was just trying to get back to who I am,” Ray said. “I felt like I had found something with my delivery over the last week. Just really getting into my lower half and really feeling my drive down the mound.

“I feel like I have been getting a little bit away from that, getting a little rotational. Tonight, I was just more focused on getting that drive, getting my lower half down the mound.”

Mariners reliever Erik Swanson posted a scoreless eighth inning, aided by a double play when Rengifo struck out and Raleigh caught Ward stealing third base.

Angels lefty Jose Quijada twirled a perfect eighth inning.

Angels catcher Max Stassti crushed two-run homer in the ninth inning off Ryan Borucki, which traveled 374 feet before ricocheting off the manual scoreboard in left field. It plated Mickey Moniak, aboard after a hit-by-pitch, and gave the Angels a 3-0 advantage.

The blast appeared to be enough insurance, but Seattle rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth, tying the game.

Winker walked with one out, and Jake Lamb singled as a pinch hitter in his first Mariners at-bat. Jarred Kelenic, a consecutive pinch-hitter, popped out in foul territory, but Frazier followed with a run-scoring double that put the tying run at second base.

France’s single up the middle pushed Friday’s contest to extras, plating both Lamb and Frazier. He had redeemed his double-play groundout from earlier on, and in his first game back from a sore wrist, to boot.

“It says a lot about this team that we’re never out of it, even in the ninth inning when things look like they aren’t going our way,” Ray said. “We were still able to scrap.”

Paul Sewald allowed Los Angeles’ automatic runner at second base to score on Ward’s sacrifice fly in the 10th, but kept the score within one. Ohtani struck out for a fourth time in the inning, marking his third career game with four punchouts.

Despite Suarez starting the home half of the 10th at second base, Seattle’s offense went quietly in order to end the game, finalized by Raleigh’s flyout.

“We were right there at the end,” Servais said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get it done.”

ROSTER MOVES

▪ Lamb reported to the Mariners on Friday night and singled as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning, helping jump-start a last-gasp rally that put Seattle in extra innings.

Acquired from the Dodgers for a player to be named later or cash considerations before Tuesday’s trade deadline, Lamb slashed .239/.239/.433 in 25 games with Los Angeles and posted two homers and four RBI.

He can play outfield, or provide third baseman Suarez with an off day at Lamb’s natural position, Servais said.

‘I’ve actually seen Jake quite a bit, at (the University of Washington) before he got drafted,” Servais said. “He’s doing a much better job of controlling the strike zone and really hunting his pitches. … He’s done some good things this year, and hopefully he can help us out.”

▪ Seattle claimed outfielder Derek Hill off waivers from Detroit on Tuesday afternoon, the team announced in a release. In a corresponding move, infielder Kevin Padlo was designated for assignment.

Hill appeared in 31 games for the Tigers in 2022, slashing .229/.270/.289 with eight runs, two doubles, three RBI, plus a homer. The 26-year-old was Detroit’s first-round pick in 2014 and appeared for the Tigers in parts of three major league seasons (2020-22).

▪ After just one appearance on Aug. 2, Seattle designated outfielder Travis Jankowski for assignment on Friday evening.

INJURY UPDATES

▪ All-Star rookie Julio Rodriguez is “feeling good” and his right wrist is “headed in the right direction,” Servais told reporters Friday. The 21-year-old has resumed some baseball activity and will begin swinging a bat Saturday.

Rodriguez isn’t eligible to come off the injured list until Aug. 10 — Seattle’s last game of this homestand. He won’t need a rehab assignment in the minors, Servais said, and Rodriguez remains on track for a minimum-length 10-day stay on the IL.

▪ Outfielder Mitch Haniger has yet to rejoin the Mariners since suffering a right high ankle sprain on April 29, but continued a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma this week Sacramento. Haniger wasn’t in Friday’s lineup versus the River Cats, but will return to Seattle when “lets us know he’s ready to go,” Servais said.

“I haven’t heard anything that would hold (Haniger) back or anything like that,” Servais said. “Hopefully, it’s soon. We’ll see.”

▪ Reliever Diego Castillo (right shoulder inflammation) threw his first bullpen session on Friday and his shoulder issues “have calmed quite a bit,” per Servais.

▪ Catcher Curt Casali, acquired before Tuesday’s trade deadline, continued a rehab assignment with the Rainiers on Friday for a right oblique strain. The 33-year-old singled in the first inning and finished 1-for-2 with a run scored in Tacoma’s 4-2 win.

▪ Left-hander Matthew Boyd, packaged alongside Casali and traded to the Mariners on Tuesday, is “a little bit farther away” from a return. Boyd threw live batting practice on Thursday and is scheduled to throw again on Monday before commencing a rehab assignment, Servais said.

▪ Infielder Dylan Moore (back spasms) picked up baseball activity on Friday and “feels much better,” per Servais, but remains “a few days out” from rejoining the team.