Several Mariners players who have drawn critiques for their play in the field had great days against the Braves.
SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners defense has drawn its fair share of criticism this season.
Amidst several injuries, including to third baseman Brendan Donovan, utility player Miles Mastrobuoni, outfielder Victor Robles and catcher Cal Raleigh, Seattle entered Monday's game against the Atlanta Braves dead-last in the major leagues in outs above average (OAA) at -16.
Against the Braves, who entered Monday with a major league-best 25-10 record and one of the most potent lineups in baseball, several of the players who have received the brunt of criticism for the M's defensive woes were tested.
And those players generally rose to the challenge.
In the outfield, left field Randy Arozarena chased down two fly balls that took him to the wall.
In the infield, third baseman Leo Rivas fielded several hard-hit ground balls at the hot corner and successfully got the out at first on each of them.
Shortstop J.P. Crawford, who also had the go-ahead home run in the Mariners' 5-4 win against Atlanta, was also successful in his defensive opportunities, save for one Jorge Mateo infield single.
"Outstanding work," Seattle manager Dan Wilson said in a postgame interview Monday. "When you play a team like Atlanta, who's hot and has played very well here to start the season, it can come down to something small. These guys were taking care of the ball tonight. Randy ran a couple balls tonight, made the jumping catch at the wall. Those are big plays. ... They took care of the ball and gave us a chance to win."
The absence of the aforementioned players hasn't helped the Mariners find consistency on defense. New additions and platoons, such as Connor Joe, Luke Raley, Dominic Canzone, Rob Refsnyder and Robles all playing in right field, and Joe, Will Wilson, and Patrick Wisdom playing in the infield, also hasn't helped in that.
In addition to the aforementioned injuries, Wilson (thumb fracture) and Wisdom (oblique strain) have also found themselves on the IL.
Seattle will get a boost on the defensive side of the ball when Donovan and Robles return to the fold. Having the same players day in and day out will also help the Mariners regain a sense of familiarity and consistency in the field.
Donovan is starting a rehab assignment on Tuesday and Robles is already in action at Triple-A Tacoma.
Until the team reaches that point of health, the current roster is responsible for avoiding critical mistakes in the field that can steamroll into game-deciding circumstances, just as Wilson mentioned.
Results in that regard have been mixed this season, but Monday was a good example of what the defense can be when it's at its best.
The Mariners enter Tuesday's game at 17-19 overall.
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