Mariners make it rain baseballs in the sun, win 14-6 over Cubs

The dinger downpour continued, and the M’s came out on top.

I hate the heat.

Hate the way everything left out in it gets sweaty, sticky, and clammy. Hate how any room without sufficient air flow (older Seattle domiciles... hello) becomes unhabitably stuffy within minutes. Hate how unlike the cold, you can only dress for it so much. Hate how it slowly but surely will cook every inch of your body and mind standing outside for hours on end.

So when I heard about the heat advisory going into effect in Chicago right as the Mariners arrived in town, followed by yesterday’s game in which two umpires, a reliever, and a team employee needed medical attention due to the convection oven-esque conditions, it sounded like one of my personal hells. Add on Aaron and Angie remarking that the on-field temperature was at around 125 degrees? That’s my ninth circle. I would have taken no one outright collapsing on the field, let alone a series win at Wrigley for the first time in franchise history.

J.P. Crawford led off the game with a signature base knock into left field, and after a deep flyout from Julio Rodríguez that the wind threatened to yoink out of the park, Cal Raleigh brought the first passing shower of the afternoon, and the gusts just stood by and let it fly.

Jorge Polanco was left stranded at first after ripping a single into right field, and Logan Gilbert got to work, quickly retiring Ian Happ and Kyle Tucker on a pair of flyouts. While the Cubs did get on the board thanks to Seiya Suzuki ambushing a first-pitch fastball for a solo dinger, Logan dug in against budding superstar Pete Crow-Armstrong, serving him a steady diet of sliders and splitters before finally coaxing a whiff on a four-seam on the high and outside corner. Suzuki’s shot ended up being immediately answered, too, with Dominic Canzone obliterating a center-cut 1-0 fastball the other way to correct the run differential.

Armed with run support for the first time in what’s felt like a dog’s age, Gilbert settled in nicely. Nearly completely eschewing his four-seamer (just 17 out of 90 pitches), he kept the Cubs’ potent lineup off balance through the next three frames with his two primary offspeed offerings, working around a two-out infield hit from Matt Shaw in the second inning to strike out the side, including the ever-pesky Nico Hoerner - who held a teeny-tiny 7% K-rate heading into today - swinging. The whiffs began to pile up, and while the Cubs managed to get a runner on in both the third and fourth, some nifty pitching in the third and Mitch Garver throwing out the speedy PCA trying to steal in the fourth kept them off the board.

Meanwhile, the bats kept veteran swingman Colin Rea on the ropes all afternoon. While no runs scored in the third despite a Julio sun and wind double - shortly after changed to an error on Suzuki; look for that to be appealed in the next couple of days - and a Cal walk, but Donovan Solano decided to make everyone wonder if the heat was making them see things, joining in on the dinger parade in the top of the fourth.

Canzone and Miles Mastrobuoni followed suit with a single each, though J.P. once again had some tough luck smoking the ball back to the pitcher, with Rea making a great snag on a 93.8 MPH line drive and effortlessly flipping the ball to first to end the inning. Well, rats. The Mariners thankfully cashed in the following frame, with Cal singling to right with one out and moving to second on a Jorge Polanco groundout, but give credit to Cubs second baseman Vidal Bruján on turning a fairly sure base hit into a diving stop and out at first. With Calboy at second, a knock from Randy Arozarena was all that was needed to extend the M’s lead to four runs.

That run proved crucial, too, as the Cubs’ boppers finally stirred against Gilbert in his fifth and final inning of work. Reese McGuire stroked a hanging 2-2 slider over the center field wall to lead off the frame, and while Bruján and Happ were retired in order, Tucker reached down and flicked a 1-2 splitter into right for a base hit, and Seiya Suzuki struck again, jumping all over a middle-in 1-1 split to pull the Cubs within one.

Even though Logan was able to staunch the bleeding thanks to a PCA flyout, I don’t blame anyone for breaking out into a sweat here. The wind was whipping, the sun was beating down relentlessly, and despite holding on to the lead, needing twelve outs without allowing another run to come across in these conditions was a mammoth task ahead. The rain that Raleigh, Canzone, and Solano brought earlier was more than welcome, but more clouds needed to come, and fast.

Donovan grounded out to open the top of the sixth - that felt more like it - and Dominic happily obliged.

Mastrobuoni notched an infield single of his own to knock out Rea and bring in old friend Chris Flexen, still rocking a 0.00 ERA over just over twenty innings. J.P. snuck a ground ball through the right side of the infield for his second hit before both runners moved up on a wild pitch, and Julio hit a high chopper that was enough to Miles home on a productive out. Good enough? Up to you, and I’ll take the run, but a knock would have been preferable. Eduard Bazardo worked around a hit batter to turn in a scoreless sixth, and here’s where things truly got weird. Polanco and Randy each grounded out - the former awkwardly tripping over first base, leading to his departure a half-inning later - although Mitch Garver worked a walk. What we saw next should be grounds to question whether this entire game was merely a figment of our sun-addled imaginations.

Donovan Solano ended May with a wRC+ of 19, chest-deep in arguably the worst single season from a Seattle Mariner ever. Three weeks later, it stands at 93. He’s broken into positive fWAR territory, and had a hell of a series at first base to boot. Who knows how long this hot streak will last, but I highly recommend you ride the enjoyment as long as it does.

Gabe Speier had an uncharacteristically rocky outing in the seventh, walking pinch-hitter and other old friend Justin Turner and leaving an inside fastball a bit too close to the middle of the plate for Tucker, who launched the ninth and final home run of the game to make it 9-6. You know, given the oppressive heat this weekend, I’m okay with a drizzle from the other team. As is the common refrain, though, more insurance runs would always be welcome.

The bats heard our plea and more, with Mastrobuoni capping off a three-hit effort with a knock off of one-time top prospect Nate Pearson, stealing second a bit later. J.P. harmlessly flew out, Julio parachuted a triangle job into center for a clean hit, though Mastrobuoni had to hold up at second thanks to a subpar read off the bat. Cal worked his second walk of the game, and Cole Young flicked a base hit the other way in his first plate appearance of the afternoon. Not too shabby, kid!

Not to be outdone, Randy lashed a hard ground ball down the third base line to bring Julio and Cal home, scooting into second base with his team-leading 19th double. Garv man would go down on three pitches, but who else but Donovan Solano came through with his third hit of the game (for the third time of the series, mind you) to bring the final two runs home.

Carlos Vargas and Casey Legumina each worked an uneventful inning to close out the game, and despite everything - the heat, the wind, the dingers - the Mariners made history today, winning a series at Wrigley Field for the first time in franchise history. Sure, they’ve only played five series ever here, but we take historical wins where we can get them. With a stretch of seventeen straight games underway, the M’s are heading to Minneapolis to take on the Twins, where temperatures and humidity should be much friendlier. Here’s hoping the bats stay blazing.