The Seattle Mariners are playing their best at the right time.
Bryan Woo pitched six quality innings with a career-high 13 strikeouts and J.P. Crawford homered as the Mariners defeated the visiting Los Angeles Angels 5-3 Saturday night for their eighth consecutive victory.
The Mariners (81-68) will try to sweep the four-game series with the Angels on Sunday afternoon. Seattle is deadlocked with the Houston Astros for the lead in the American League West.
“This is the time you want to get hot. This is time you want to play well and these guys are doing it,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “It’s been a great stretch, doing the little things to win games.
“(Sunday) we’ll look for same game plan. Get the momentum early and keep it in your dugout. … These guys fight like crazy.”
That never was more evident than in the bottom of the fifth inning. Leading 3-2 with the bases loaded and one out, Josh Naylor fouled off eight straight pitches from Angels reliever Chase Silseth, seven of those with two strikes, before grounding a two-run single through the right side of the infield.
“Sometimes you just have to spoil some pitches,” Naylor said in a postgame interview on Root Sports. “Just trying to do my best to get a pitch and put it in play.”
Count Wilson among those impressed with the first baseman, acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks before the trade deadline.
“Naylor’s at-bat was unreal,” Wilson said. “That’s what he does. He grinds you down and comes up with the big swing.”
Jo Adell and Taylor Ward hit solo homers for the Angels (69-80), who have lost three straight.
With shortstop Zach Neto ailing (sore left wrist), the Angels called up Denzer Guzman to make his major-league debut. Guzman went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, but went to knees to snare a hard one-hopper by Eugenio Suarez and scrambled back to his feet to throw him out easily.
“Just seeing him coming today, you can tell he’s nervous, right?” said Angels acting manager Ryan Goins, who is filling in this weekend with interim manager Ray Montgomery at his father-in-law’s funeral. “Like, same with me. I’m going to be nervous when I manage the games. It’s fun to see. It’s fun to kind of share some of the nerves with someone. But he’s really good at short, he’s really good at third. He gives you a good at-bat. He really enjoys playing the game.”
The series finale will feature a pair of right-handers in the Angels’ Kyle Hendricks (7-9, 4.58 ERA) and Seattle’s George Kirby (8-7, 4.56).
Hendricks beat the visiting Minnesota Twins 12-2 Tuesday for his first victory since July 27. He pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk with six strikeouts.
Hendricks is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in three career starts versus the Mariners. Both of the wins have come this season in Anaheim, Calif. He gave up four runs over six innings in a 5-4 decision on June 6 and one run on two hits in six frames on July 27 in a 4-1 victory.
Kirby is winless in his past five starts. He most recently pitched Tuesday, lasting just four innings in a game the Mariners eventually won 5-3 against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals.
Kirby is 6-4 with a 3.47 ERA in 10 previous starts against Los Angeles. He has beaten the Angels twice this season, both times in Anaheim. He gave up two runs on two hits over seven innings in a 3-2 victory on June 8 and two runs in six innings of a 7-2 win July 26.