M’s Haggerty (groin) injured on slide; set for MRI

SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners will begin their first playoff journey in 20 years on the street after a pricey 4-3 loss Monday night time to the Detroit Tigers.

Sam Haggerty singled with two outs within the ninth inning and harm his left groin whereas sliding into second base on a profitable steal. He wanted help to go away the sector, an arm draped over supervisor Scott Servais and an athletic coach.

Haggerty is scheduled for an MRI on Tuesday.

“Attending to the top of the common season is at all times a problem,” a reserved Servais stated.

Seattle, assured a postseason spot for the primary time since 2001, will play a best-of-three collection at Toronto or Cleveland starting Friday.

“With every thing that occurred immediately, we’re not going to have the ability to host a playoff sport — within the first collection — right here at T-Cell Park, so now we have got to regulate slightly bit,” Servais stated. “The main focus proper now’s making an attempt to get as wholesome as we are able to, as rested as we are able to, earlier than we begin our collection right here on Friday, and that might be difficult.”

A part of that plan got here collectively as Seattle star Julio Rodriguez, again from a visit to the injured record brought on by a decrease again pressure, was the designated hitter and certain might be in heart discipline for one of many video games in Tuesday’s doubleheader. The rookie hit a 110 mph single up the center main off the primary, superior when Ty France was hit by a pitch and tied the rating at 1 when he moved up on flyouts by Mitch Haniger and Eugenio Suarez.

Rodriguez dropped one other hit between three fielders within the third inning and reduce the result in 4-3 with an RBI single within the seventh towards Jose Cisnero.

Haggerty’s damage forged a little bit of a pall over the Mariners after a weekend of celebration because the crew clinched a wild-card berth Friday night time.

“Haggs has had such an important season,” Servais stated. “Type of like that sparkplug man, you hearth him in there and he makes issues occur. And positive sufficient, he will get a giant hit late within the sport tonight. He received an important leap. He simply type of let his guard down. I feel he thought he had the bottom stolen fairly simple, and he did, he simply waited too late to slip and caught the bag incorrect.”

Seattle rookie George Kirby (8-5), bidding for a postseason begin, allowed 4 runs, six hits and three walks in 4 innings. Kirby entered with the very best strikeout-to-walk ratio by a rookie since 1900 at 6.74.

“Tonight was simply not a typical night time we have seen from George Kirby actually all yr,” Servais stated. “Simply not actual sharp. He walked extra guys than he usually does in a month in a single sport tonight.”

Seattle optioned infielder Abraham Toro to Triple-A Tacoma earlier Monday. Toro is predicted to hitch a gaggle of gamers within the Mariners’ system at the moment understanding in Arizona in case they’re wanted in the course of the playoffs. Seattle additionally reinstated catcher Curt Casali from the paternity record and optioned catcher Brian O’Keefe to Tacoma.

Luis Castillo is in line to start out the wild-card opener for Seattle.

“He is received all of the intangibles, plus the stuff, and he likes pitching in massive video games and that is going to be a giant sport,” Servais stated. “I say all that and we will not get too far down the street. We have got 4 video games left to play.”

The Related Press contributed to this report.