Seattle, WA
Blackburn blasted as A’s woes vs. Seattle continue; Alameda HS alum exits game
SEATTLE — Dylan Moore hit a two-run homer off Oakland starter Paul Blackburn and finished with a career-high five RBIs to help the Seattle Mariners beat the Athletics 8-1 on Friday night.
Dating back to the start of last season, the A’s loss was their 13th in 14 games against the Mariners and their fifth loss in six games overall.
“Moore seems to be kryptonite for us,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “Every time he’s in the lineup, it seems like we have trouble getting him out.”
While the Mariners rebounded to open a brief homestand after losing three of four in Minnesota, the immediate concern was the status of starting pitcher and Alameda native Bryan Woo, who left with one out in the fifth inning.
Making his first start of the year after being slowed by a sore elbow during spring training, Woo, 24, allowed just one hit through the first four innings only to leave the game after getting Tyler Soderstrom to foul out behind third base to open the fifth.
Catcher Cal Raleigh immediately went to the mound and was quickly joined by pitching coach Pete Woodworth and manager Scott Servais. Woo eventually walked off the mound alongside athletic trainer Kyle Torgerson and was replaced by Trent Thornton.
Servais told reporters that Woo will make his next start, saying he just got tight while sitting during the Mariners’ five-run fourth inning.
Woo was expected to be the No. 5 starter in Seattle’s rotation entering the season before the elbow soreness emerged in spring training. In 11 1/3 innings over three rehab outings with Triple-A Tacoma, Woo didn’t allow an earned run. Last season, Woo was 4-5 with a 4.21 ERA in 18 starts with the Mariners.
“I was just sitting for a long time and it’s hard to get it going again,” said Woo, an Alameda High alum who allowed one hit, struck out three, walked one, and threw 62 pitches Friday. “It’s been a theme through the rehab process. Pretty normal.”
After cruising through the first three innings, Blackburn (3-2) ran into trouble immediately in the fourth, walking Mitch Haniger and Cal Raleigh.
Luke Raley barely missed a three-run homer and settled for an RBI double off the top of the wall. Ty France lined a two-run double, and Moore hit his third homer of the season just inside the foul pole in left.
Moore followed an inning later with a two-out, two-run single to give the Mariners a 7-0 lead. He added an RBI single to score Raley in the seventh.
Thornton (1-1), Kirby Snead, and Cody Bolton kept the Mariners’ shutout of the A’s going until the ninth, when Lawrence Butler’s two-out RBI single off Austin Voth plated Oakland’s only run.
Blackburn was tagged for all seven runs and was roughed up for a second time in three starts after giving up six earned runs over four innings to Baltimore on April 28. In his other five starts this season, Blackburn has allowed eight earned runs in 38 innings pitched.
“Just kind of one of those days, I guess,” Blackburn said. “In the fourth, obviously starting off with those two walks is not ideal. Not really setting us up for a good inning there.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Athletics: IF Zack Gelof (oblique) will be in the lineup for Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday as he begins a rehab assignment. Gelof has been out since late April.
UP NEXT
Athletics: RHP Joey Estes is expected to be recalled from Las Vegas to make his first start of the season. Estes made two starts last September, including one against Seattle when he allowed five runs in 4 2/3 innings.
Mariners: RHP Bryce Miller (3-2, 2.61) has pitched at least six innings of five of seven starts this season and has yet to allow more than four earned runs.
Wilyer Abreu hit a two-run homer, Connelly Early gave up two hits and a run in six innings and the Boston Red Sox beat the Seattle Mariners 5-1 on Saturday night.
Early (6-5) struggled in the first inning, giving up a run on two hits, but didn’t allow another hit through the rest of his six innings, although he did hit three Mariners with pitches. He had seven strikeouts and two walks.
Tyron Guerrero pitched a scoreless seventh with two strikeouts, Garrett Whitlock went 1-2-3 in the eighth and Danny Coulombe worked a clean ninth.
Abreu homered off Seattle starter Emerson Hancock (5-4) with two out in the fourth, a shot to center field for his ninth of the season.
The Red Sox tacked on three runs in the sixth inning, with Abreu scoring on a wild pitch and Caleb Durbin and Marcelo Mayer hitting back-to-back RBI infield singles off reliever José A. Ferrer.
The Red Sox stole three bases in the game, with Durbin swiping two.
The AL West-leading Mariners dropped to 39-39, marking the first time they have been .500 since May 29.
Up next
Boston LHP Payton Tolle (3-4, 2.93 ERA) was set to start against RHP Logan Gilbert (5-4, 3.43) on Sunday in the series finale.
Samoskevich should factor in someplace on the Kraken’s top three lines and potentially among their top two trios, bringing another right-handed shot on a team needing more of those. Top right-handed Kraken shooters include Jordan Eberle, Chandler Stephenson and Shane Wright among forwards and Brandon Montour and Adam Larsson on the defensive side, with Botterill agreeing another winger to let fly from the right side of the ice won’t hurt.
“You’re just trying to give options to (coach) Lane (Lambert) and the coaching staff,” Botterill said. “We pride ourselves on being a four-line team, so I’ll leave it up to Lane and the coaching staff on where Mackie fits into the mix and stuff. But we think that – especially with that right shot – we’ve talked a lot about getting more pucks to the net, more of a shooter mentality, and that’s certainly what Mackie brings.”
Samoskevich, a native of Newtown, Connecticut whose “Mackie” name evolved from a twin sister trying to pronounce his “Matthew” birthname as toddlers, brings above average speed to go with that right-handed shot. The 5-foot-11, 185-pounder is also known for his grit and a scoring touch that saw him notch 12 goals and 20 assists last season to follow up a rookie campaign when he scored 15 and added 16 assists.
The Kraken hope Samoskevich builds off those totals, especially if afforded more ice time than the 14:28 per game he managed last season with the defending two-time Cup champion Panthers. The restricted free agent earned $775,000 last season, and Florida would have needed to make a qualifying offer of $813,750 to extend him.
Botterill said he’s yet to speak with Samoskevich’s representatives about any extension talks or how his restricted free agency will be approached this summer.
“Those are things we’ll certainly look at with them,” he said.
For now, it’s a matter of getting Samoskevich acclimated to his new team. Having a former teammate around in top line centerman Beniers, who played his final Michigan season as a sophomore when Samoskevich was a freshman there in 2021-22, certainly won’t hurt.
“I just think that it’s easier from a familiarity standpoint coming to a new organization,” Botterill said. “It just makes the transition all that much easier. I know Matty speaks very highly of Mackie, his style of play and the person he is, too.”
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