CHICAGO — The new additions have adjusted well on opening day with the Mariners, and left fielder Randy Arozarena and reliever Yimi Garcia are sure to help the team down the stretch.
But questions lingered about whether second baseman Jorge Polanco, one of the Mariners’ most talked-about players during the offseason, could recapture his swing.
Polanco has shown signs of a resurgence in recent weeks, playing his best game for the Mariners on Saturday night against the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field, hitting two home runs in a 6-3 victory.
Even if it would be against the White Sox (27-80), who have lost 13 straight games, the Mariners (55-51) desperately needed to win this series after playing lackluster baseball for much of July and were in desperate need of an offensive revival.
The Mariners gave up 12 hits and walked seven on Saturday, a day after beating the White Sox 10-0 in the series opener.
“Right now we’re in really good shape and our teamwork is good,” Polanco said. “We know we can do better and we’re going to continue to do better.”
Polanco singled sharply to advance Arozarena to second base for the Mariners’ final run. The switch-hitter finished 3-for-5 with 3 RBI and recorded his first three-hit game of the season.
Arozarena, who flew in from Tampa Bay on Saturday morning to join the Mariners, went 1-for-4 with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts in his Mariners debut.
Garcia, acquired in a trade with the Blue Jays on Friday, had his initial flight from Toronto canceled and didn’t arrive at the ballpark until 90 minutes before his first pitch on Saturday. Either way, he entered the game in the seventh inning and struck out two White Sox batters in just nine pitches.
“It’s an exciting time,” catcher Cal Reilly said. “Every time we do something like this, [in trades]It boosts morale, it boosts confidence, it gives you a little perspective on what’s to come. Everybody’s excited.”
Lowry led off the top of the fifth inning with his team-leading 21st home run, a 429-foot smash, followed by Polanco, who hit his second of the day, a 110.7 mph rocket that was his best hit of the season.
The Mariners hadn’t hit consecutive home runs this season, but they did so on back-to-back nights as Josh Rojas, Dylan Moore and Victor Robles all homered on Friday.
Polanco tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the fourth inning with a 426-foot home run down center field off White Sox starter Erick Fedde.
It was Polanco’s first multi-home run game since July 6, 2022, when he played for the Twins against the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.
“Yeah, he’s grown up,” coach Scott Servais said. “Credit to him. The first half was really tough, but … he’s the guy we expected him to be.”
Polanco, who also hit a home run on Friday night, has 10 hits in his last 35 at-bats, including four homers and two doubles.
“I’m feeling really good at the plate,” Polanco said. “I think the last few games have shown I’m in good shape. I’ve been working on a lot of stuff and it’s coming together.”
Polanco said he’s made some recent adjustments to his approach at the plate, and it’s not so much about his mechanical setup, but rather his mindset and what kind of pitch he’s going for when he steps up to the plate.
Servais said Polanco, in particular, is on time to hit his fastball, which he said is the most important adjustment.
“That’s baseball. There’s good things and there’s bad things,” Polanco said. “You just keep working hard and never give up. You keep working hard and now it’s paying off.”
In the third inning, Mitch Haniger and Robles walked Fedde, and then Moore singled to right field with two outs, sending Haniger home from second base and giving the Mariners a 2-1 lead.
Robles then hit a one-run single with two outs, sending Rojas home to make the score 3-1.
Robles, who continued to play center field in place of the injured Julio Rodriguez, also had three hits Saturday.
“Robles has been a driving force for us in the first team,” Lawrie said. “We want him to continue to perform like he has.”
Brian Wu, making just his third start in the past month, allowed just one earned run over four innings but was removed after the 70th pitch with discomfort in his right hamstring, the same hamstring injury that landed Wu on the disabled list last month.
Servais isn’t too worried about Wu and expects him to start next time around.
“I just felt it a little bit. The training staff and coaches were trying to handle it carefully and smartly,” Wu said. “Hamstrings can be tricky to deal with. I don’t have a lot of experience with hamstrings so I just trust the training staff and what they’re saying. Yes, it’s frustrating, but I’m just doing what I can and listening to what they’re saying. I know they have my best interests in mind.”
Mariners relief pitcher Gregory Santos, taking the mound for the first time since a scare with an injury Wednesday at Seattle, couldn’t complete the eighth inning against his former team.
He struck out Eloy Jimenez on his first pitch, a fastball, and with the bases loaded and two out, Servais sent Andres Munoz up to bat.
Munoz threw a wild slider to Luis Robert Jr. on a 1-2 count that went past Lawrie for a run.
However, Munoz struck out Robert on the next pitch to save the day.
Munoz then earned his seventh save with four or more outs in the ninth inning.
Ken Griffey Jr. made a cameo appearance at the ballpark, joining the team in the dugout late in the game and then taking part in a small celebration in the clubhouse afterwards.
The Astros’ walk-off win over the Dodgers meant the Mariners remained one game behind Houston (55-49) in the American League West.
