When Seattle manager Scott Servais was asked if Julio Rodriguez would be back in the lineup Monday night when the Mariners open a three-game series against the visiting Los Angeles Angels, he reminded a reporter that he’s “not a doctor.”
“We’ll let you know (Monday),” Servais said. “I’m not sure.”
Rodriguez, the Mariners’ star center fielder, suffered a right ankle sprain when crashing into the wall while attempting to make a catch in the sixth inning Sunday afternoon in a 6-4 victory against the Houston Astros. Rodriguez crumpled to the warning track and immediately clutched his ankle. After receiving medical attention, he gingerly walked off the field.
Servais said X-rays were negative.
“He’s got a little bit of an ankle sprain,” Servais said. “What I’ve been told is he’s going to be day to day. We’ll see where it’s at (later). So hopefully, knock on wood, we escaped something there.
“It was a heck of a collision to run into the wall. That wall is not moving and that’s a big dude who is really moving fast, so you’re concerned. But when you get out there and you (see him) start putting a little weight on it and realize he just twisted it and got it caught up in the wall … hopefully we can escape a long absence from him.”
Rodriguez, who was not made available to the media after the game, was seen walking around the clubhouse without any tape on the ankle.
The Mariners, who moved into a virtual tie with the Astros atop the American League West with the victory, can hardly afford to lose Rodriguez, who has recently begun to snap out of a season-long slump.
“He’s been swinging the bat so well here over the last couple of weeks,” Servais said. “We’re going to need him. He’s pivotal to our offense turning the corner here.”
Jorge Polanco and Luke Raley homered for the Mariners, who snapped a five-game skid that included three straight losses to the Angels in Anaheim, Calif., heading into the All-Star break.
The Angels defeated the host Oakland Athletics 8-5 Sunday for the 5,000th victory in franchise history. Kevin Pillar hit a tiebreaking two-RBI double in a five-run eighth inning and Mickey Moniak homered.
It was the Angels’ last scheduled trip to the Coliseum before the Athletics move to Sacramento for the 2025 season.
“There’s so much that has been going on in this place, I’m going to certainly miss it as a guy that’s been a coach here, as a guy that watched a lot of young players grow here and now as a guy that came back and managed here,” said Angels manager Ron Washington, the longtime A’s third base and infield coach. “The crowd is still the same, the people here still love the Oakland A’s and it’s just a sad thing that things are about to change. In life, there are changes.”
Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson (8-8, 2.97 ERA) is set to start Monday against Seattle right-hander Bryce Miller (7-7, 3.63).
Anderson is 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in six career starts against Seattle. He faced the Mariners on July 12 in Anaheim, getting a no-decision as the Angels won 6-5 in 10 innings. Anderson allowed four runs in six innings in that game.
Miller is 1-0 with a 0.82 ERA in two previous starts against the Angels. He beat them 9-0 on June 1 in Seattle when he allowed three hits over six scoreless innings, with one walk and nine strikeouts.
–Field Level Media
