The Seattle Mariners set a franchise record with nine doubles Friday night, when the New York Mets inched closer to a far more ignoble feat.
The Mets will once again attempt to snap out of their freefall Saturday afternoon when they host the Mariners in the middle contest of a three-game interleague series.
Nolan McLean is expected to make his big league debut for the Mets against fellow right-hander Bryan Woo (10-6, 3.08 ERA).
Dominic Canzone delivered the tiebreaking RBI single during a five-run seventh inning Friday night for the Mariners, who overcame a pair of deficits to beat the Mets 11-9.
The Mets took their 14th loss in 16 games dating back to July 28. New York hung on to its half-game lead over Cincinnati in the race for the last National League wild-card berth after the Reds squandered a seven-run lead in a 10-8 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Mets had the third-best record in the NL through July 27 — just a half-game back of the Brewers and the Chicago Cubs — while holding a 1 1/2-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East and a six-game lead on the Reds.
New York has scored six or more runs in five of their past 14 losses after enduring one such defeat in the 106 games through July 27. However, the Mets also have scored three runs or fewer in seven losses since July 28.
“All I can think of right now is that we’re not clicking at the same time and the other teams (are) outplaying us,” said Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, who hit two homers on Friday. “We’re not having a terrible season, we’re having a tough stretch. Everybody has the sense of urgency to try to get out of it, somehow, someway.
“And if we don’t do that, then yeah, it turns into a bad season.”
The Mariners took another encouraging step forward in their playoff push on Friday, when they trailed 3-2 after two innings and 6-4 after four before scoring seven unanswered runs between the sixth and eighth. Seattle recorded six doubles between the seventh and eighth before Dylan Moore collected the record-breaking two-bagger leading off the ninth.
The Mariners, who scored in six different innings, finished with 16 hits, tied for their fourth-highest total of the season. Every starter had at least one hit except shortstop J.P. Crawford, and Cal Raleigh hit his big-league-high 46th homer while collecting his 99th and 100th RBIs.
Seattle is 10-3 this month, a span in which it has climbed within a half-game of the first-place Houston Astros in the American League West while moving into the top AL wild-card spot.
“Tonight was another just incredible example of what they have inside, what they play with,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said of his players. “To be able to come back in a game like that time and time again is pretty exceptional.”
McLean, who is replacing Frankie Montas in the rotation, earned the promotion by going 8-5 with a 2.45 ERA in 21 games (18 starts) between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse this year.
The 24-year-old, who was selected by the Mets in the third round of the 2023 draft out of Oklahoma State, last pitched on Sunday, when he gave up one run over four innings while striking out seven for Syracuse.
Woo earned a win on Sunday after permitting three runs on seven hits over six innings as the Mariners beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-3. He struck out nine, tying his career high, and walked one. Woo has never opposed the Mets.