ANAHEIM -- If there’s one thing Julio Rodríguez is going to be, it’s himself. The Mariners’ 24-year-old slugger knows that no matter what, when he stays within himself, good things tend to happen.
That was exactly what ended up happening in the top of the fifth inning of the series opener Thursday night against the Angels. With two strikes in the count, Rodríguez told himself, “Look up in the zone. Stay short. Stay compact.”
The result? A line drive over the right-field wall for a solo home run in the top of the fifth inning that put the Mariners on the scoreboard in their 4-2 victory at Angel Stadium.
“That’s just the type of hitter I am,” he said. “And when I do that consistently, I can help the team win a lot more.”
Two batters later, Randy Arozarena smoked a line drive over the left-field wall at 110.4 mph to put Seattle up by two runs. Rodríguez got the rally started, though.
“I view myself as somebody that can ignite whatever anytime,” Rodríguez said. “I was able to do it with a homer [tonight], but I feel like I can do that in many different ways. It was fun to get it going for the guys, carry that momentum and get it on the opposing pitcher.”
It was Arozarena’s at-bat that put the M’s over the top. He was patient through the first four pitches he saw from Halos starter Yusei Kikuchi, all of them breaking balls. He worked a 3-1 count before finally seeing a pitch he liked -- a slider over the heart of the plate -- and put it on a rope that scored both him and Cal Raleigh, who had singled right before.
“When he finds the barrel and makes contact, it goes,” manager Dan Wilson said of Arozarena. “And it goes quickly. The exit velos are pretty intense, and tonight was no exception there. He’s been doing it for a long stretch here; he’s comfortable. … It’s just been unbelievable here during this stretch. That’s why he was an All-Star.”
It was Arozarena’s 11th home run since June 30, tied for the most in MLB with Eugenio Suárez in that span. His power surge has helped the Mariners start to find some offensive consistency — their .783 OPS since July 8 ranks four-best in the big leagues.
And that’s before plugging slugger Josh Naylor into the lineup, following the trade with the Diamondbacks.
“[Naylor]’s a really good player -- there’s no other way around it,” Rodríguez said of his new teammate. “What he brings to the table definitely can help the team win and get to where we want to get to. I’m actually excited to talk to him a little bit more.”
Rodríguez noted Naylor’s focus every time the two have played each other, which showed when Naylor went 8-for-12 with a home run, six RBIs and three runs against the Mariners in their three-game series against the Diamondbacks in early June.
Add that kind of production into a lineup with Rodríguez, Arozarena, and the AL home run leader, Raleigh?
“He can do a lot of things,” Rodríguez said. “Get walks, hit for power. He’s a very good, consistent at-bat every time he steps up to the plate. ... I’m looking forward to seeing him.”