SEATTLE — When Cal Raleigh returned to bat Tuesday night with the count at 3-0, he knew the go-ahead signal came from the home dugout. He also knew a fastball down the middle would almost certainly be thrown with two outs in the seventh inning.
The Mariners will need the Big Damper again to pull off their 13th come-from-behind victory of the season, but it’s all about execution and just as important not to overthink the importance of the moment.
“Sometimes the stupid hitter is better than the smart hitter,” Lawrie said after the Mariners’ 4-3 win over the White Sox. “That’s true.”
In fact, White Sox reliever John Brebbia hit a fastball down the middle with a three-count and Lawrie smashed a two-run double into the right-field corner that turned out to be the game-winner. And it came less than 24 hours after he hit a walk-off grand slam in the series opener on Monday.
Lawrie has six hits this season that have tied the majors with Milwaukee’s Willy Adames to tie the game or give the Mariners the lead after the seventh inning or later. In addition to Monday’s grand slam, he also smashed two crucial runs in the 10th inning of Sunday’s 6-5 win at Kansas City. According to Baseball-Reference, Lawrie has a 1.046 OPS and 18 of his 42 RBIs have come in close games late in the innings.
“I think it’s the heartbeat,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said, “and the fact that he can hit multiple pitches. He’s got a good fastball. He’s got a good curveball. And that really helps him in situations like this.”
Prior to Tuesday, Lawrie had only 29 at-bats with 3-0 counts and walked 26 of them. He threw 61 pitches with 3-0 counts, striking out just three and allowing a single with two outs and one RBI (Sept. 26 against Houston).
The Mariners had pushed Lawrie earlier this year to be more aggressive in 3-0 counts because they knew that’s when he could throw the best pitches to hurt opponents. Lawrie said he wasn’t always comfortable swinging in 3-0 counts, but it was a change.
“I haven’t done it much before,” Lawrie said, “so as I get older and more experienced, it’s one of those times when it might be my only pitch, especially in a tight game like this. [when there are] The bases are open, so take advantage of it. And sometimes, that’s what the game calls for. You’ve got to get a big hit, and you don’t want the pitcher to throw to you around. That’s your only chance.”
Lawrie’s 3-0 liner came off the bat at 109.3 mph, scoring Josh Rojas at second and Julio Rodriguez at first on an infield single. The burly catcher followed that up with a two-out double in the third inning to bring the Mariners’ three of their four RBIs to within one. The other came in the second inning, when Mitch Garver hit back-to-back doubles in opposite directions after he and Luke Lawrie hit two outs on consecutive doubles.
Overall, the Mariners posted a . 740 OPS (9th best in MLB) with two outs in June after posting a . 611 OPS (4th worst) in March, April and May.
Lowry’s performance on Tuesday helped Seattle move nine games above .500 (39-30) for the first time this season, and with the Rangers’ blowout loss at Dodger Stadium, they extended their lead atop the AL West to 6.5 games.
A big reason the Mariners have such a comfortable lead is that they have won 15 of their first 24 games and are 23-11 this season at T-Mobile Park. They could end their four-game series against the White Sox with a win on Wednesday or Thursday and extend their winning streak to eight at home.
Adding further comfort to Seattle’s comeback came hours after the team announced it was waiting for the results of an MRI on Brian Woo, who sat out Tuesday’s game because of a chronic problem with his right forearm. The Mariners used Jonathan Diaz in his place, and the veteran left-hander pitched well, giving up just three runs over 5 1/3 innings.
Diaz kept his team in the game, with his relief pitchers also holding the other team scoreless, but what made the difference in Tuesday’s game was another big moment from a player who has been so effective in the past.
