Joc Pederson slugs 26th home run in loss to M’s

Pederson had his hand in a plastic brace after the game Saturday. He was hit in the same area in which he suffered a fractured wrist last season. It may sound like bad luck, but it’s really Pederson’s own doing from crowding the plate. Last year’s HBP came on a pitch that was a little high but was over the strike zone. The HBP tonight came on a pitch that was maybe three inches inside. If Pederson did escape another significant injury, it’s at least good timing on his part. The Rangers are set to face left-handers in each of their next three games, meaning Pederson was likely to be out of the starting lineup anyway.

The Mariners scored 19 runs for the first time since totaling 21 against the Rangers in 2012 and seventh time in franchise history. It’s their largest ever margin of victory, overtaking a 19-2 win over the Rangers in 1994. The five-RBI game is a first for Young. He’d hit just .167/.267/.266 with four RBI in his previous 23 games.

The lone challenge for Woo tonight was all of the long waits in between innings. He allowed three hits and struck out five in the 80-pitch outing. Now 12-9 with a 3.88 ERA, he’s due to pitch in Colorado in his next-to-last start of the regular season.

Jump said he felt the tightness while warming up for the outing. His average fastball velocity was down 2.6 mph over the two innings, and it’s pretty obvious he never should have taken the mound in the first place. Even if this proves to be nothing significant, there’s no way the A’s should let the 23-year-old make another start this season.

Arroyo went 0-for-3 last Sunday and then was out of the lineup for four games before getting the nod at DH tonight. One would think this performance would earn him more time against lefties. Yes, pretty much everyone on the Mariners had a nice game tonight, but Arroyo exceeding 100 mph on four of his five balls in play is still quite impressive.

Arozarena’s homer was hit 411 feet off Gage Jump in the second inning. He has 23 home runs, matching the second highest total of his career. He hit a career-best 27 last year.

Wilson had one career four-hit game and one three-hit game, both in 2024, before going 5-for-6 with a double tonight. It was enough to raise his average from .190 to .217.

Langford’s home run was his 17th of the season. He hit a solo shot off Brandon Pfaadt in the fifth inning. Langford has two home runs in his last five games. He’s hitting .244 with a .775 OPS and 39 RBI.

Pfaadt gave up 10 hits, walked none and struck out seven. He fell to 7-3 with the loss. Pfaadt has a 5.74 ERA over his last five starts. He has a 3.77 ERA on the year. Pfaadt will look to turn it around in his next start against the Yankees at home.

Rocker gave up two hits, walked two and struck out five. He pitched fairly well, but was pulled after four innings and 65 pitches. Rocker has a 4.54 ERA. He’s lined up to face the Blue Jays at home next week, but he doesn’t need to be rostered in most fantasy leagues.