Inside The Mariners

J.P. Crawford Continues to Climb Impressive List in Seattle Mariners History in Saturday Win

The Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 2-1 on Saturday afternoon as J.P. Crawford helped fuel the offense with his leadoff home run.
Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (3) is presented with a trident from third baseman Jorge Polanco (7) after hitting a solo home run during the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on May 3.
Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (3) is presented with a trident from third baseman Jorge Polanco (7) after hitting a solo home run during the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on May 3. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

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The Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 2-1 on Saturday afternoon, moving to 20-12 through 32 games.

The M's, who haven't won the American League West since 2001, lead the division by 3.0 games entering play on Sunday. Seattle has scored 167 runs, which is third-most in the American League, behind only the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

The offensive resurgence this season has been thanks to a multitude of factors, including the influence of Edgar Martinez and Kevin Seitzer. Furthermore, the team has gotten bounceback seasons from Jorge Polanco and J.P. Crawford, who are helping to carry the lineup.

Crawford went 1-for-5 on Saturday with a leadoff homer, his third blast of the year. It was his 13th career leadoff homer, which trails only Ichiro Suzuki (37) in franchise history.

After hitting .202 last season, the 30-year-old Crawford is hitting .287 with the three homers and 17 RBIs. He previously helped solidify the bottom of the order and has now moved to the top in the wake of injuries to Victor Robles and Dylan Moore.

He's been with the Mariners since 2019 and is a career .247 hitter with 58 home runs.

The Mariners will go for a sweep of the Rangers on Sunday morning with first pitch set for 11:35 a.m. PT.

Youngster Logan Evans will make his second career start for Seattle after winning in his first start. He's got a 3.60 ERA. He'll be opposed by Jacob deGrom, who is 1-1 with a 2.73 ERA. The Mariners are going for their second sweep of Texas this season.

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