Bryce Miller Leads Mariners Past Angels 1‑0
SEATTLE (Interstat) — Bryce Miller pitched seven innings of two-hit shutout baseball and Cal Raleigh drew a walk with the bases loaded in the sixth inning to drive in the game’s only run as the Seattle Mariners defeated the Los Angeles Angels 1-0 on Thursday night at T-Mobile Park.
Miller (4-2) struck out eight, walked one and allowed only two singles in a dominant outing that kept the Angels off the scoreboard. The right-hander retired the first 10 batters he faced before Nolan Schanuel led off the seventh with a single. Miller induced a force out and a flyout to end that threat, then pitched a perfect eighth before handing the ball to the bullpen.
Andrés Muñoz earned his 16th save of the season by pitching a tense ninth inning. He allowed two hits and a walk but escaped without damage, striking out Denzer Guzman and coaxing a game-ending groundout from Wade Meckler after a replay challenge upheld the call at first base.
Walbert Ureña (5-7) took the loss despite a strong start for the Angels. He allowed one run on one hit over 5 2/3 innings, striking out six and walking four. The lone run came in the sixth when J.P. Crawford led off with a double, advanced on a walk to Dominic Canzone and scored on Raleigh’s bases-loaded walk after Randy Arozarena had walked to load the bases. Ureña struck out Josh Naylor and Luke Raley before leaving the game, but the run had already crossed.
The Angels outhit the Mariners 4-2 but couldn’t push a run across. Schanuel went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles, including one in the ninth that put the tying run on base. Jorge Soler added a sharp single in the ninth, but Guzman flew out and Meckler grounded out to end the game.
Seattle’s offense managed only two hits — Crawford’s double in the sixth and Arozarena’s single in the eighth — but took advantage of two walks and a hit batter in the decisive inning. Angels reliever Samy Natera Jr. pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings with three strikeouts, and Sam Bachman worked a scoreless seventh with one hit allowed and one strikeout.
Eduard Bazardo struck out two in a perfect eighth inning for Seattle, and Muñoz navigated the ninth despite giving up a single to Schanuel and a walk to Zach Neto. Neto advanced to second on a single by pinch-runner Jose Siri, but Muñoz struck out Guzman and got Meckler to ground out to shortstop.
The game was a pitchers’ duel from the outset. Miller retired the side in order in the first, striking out Guzman, and the Angels went down in order again in the second on three consecutive strikeouts — Soler, Meckler and Jo Adell. Miller finished with eight strikeouts, matching his season high.
Ureña matched zeros through five innings, allowing only a first-inning walk and a hit batter before Crawford’s double. The Angels had a scoring chance in the fourth when Guzman reached on a throwing error by Crawford and moved to second, but Soler struck out to end the inning. The Angels also put runners on first and second in the seventh on singles by Schanuel and Guzman, but Soler struck out, Meckler flew out and Adell grounded into a force out.
Seattle had a chance to add insurance in the eighth when Arozarena singled with two outs and stole second, but Josh Naylor popped out to third.
The attendance was 36,019 and the game lasted 2 hours, 28 minutes.
The Mariners improved to 45-43, while the Angels fell to 36-52. Seattle has won three straight over the Angels dating to Monday, including a three-game sweep of this series. The teams split a two-game series in Anaheim in early April.
Seattle’s next game is Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays at T-Mobile Park. The Angels return home to face the Boston Red Sox on Friday at Angel Stadium.
Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Los Angeles Angels 6, Seattle Mariners 4. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Seattle with a 64.30 percent probability to win. Seattle was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of 1 went over the over-under line of 7.