Washington pro sports recap for Sept. 29
Seattle Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny runs with the ball during an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022, in Seattle. The Falcons won 27-23.
AP PHOTO/STEPHEN BRASHEAR
Kansas City Royals' Michael Massey (19) beats the tag by Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh to score on a double by Ryan O'Hearn during the sixth inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo. The Royals won 13-12.
Seattle Kraken center Jared McCann, left, passes the puck to Jaden Schwartz as Calgary Flames goalie Dan Vladar defends during the second period of a preseason NHL hockey game Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022, in Seattle.
SEATTLE – Washington’s professional sports have had an eventful week. The Mariners saw an epic collapse on Sunday, the Seahawks dropped their second-straight game and the Kraken entered the beginning of a new season.
Mariners
Prior to entering a series against the Texas Rangers this week, the previous 11 days of baseball hadn’t been kind to the Seattle Mariners – with 10 games against teams with losing records, the Mariners went a combined 3-7.
Not exactly peaking at the right time, with the playoffs right around the corner.
After losing three of four games to the Los Angeles Angels and two of three to the Oakland Athletics, Seattle traveled to Kansas City for a matchup with the then-61-89 Royals. Kansas City took the first game 5-1, rallying off five runs from the third to seventh inning while Seattle’s bats turned cold after a solo home run by Cal Raleigh to right field.
Raleigh found success with the long ball again in the second game against Kansas City, with his two-run home run tying the game at five in the top of the sixth inning. With an RBI double by Raleigh in the top of the ninth, the Mariners took a 6-5 win on Saturday.
The rubber match on Sunday saw an epic collapse by the Mariners – after scoring eight runs in the fifth inning to take a 9-2 lead, J.P. Crawford’s two-run home run gave Seattle an 11-2 lead in the top of the sixth inning. The Royals rallied off 11 runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, taking a 13-11 lead and holding on for the win. The 11 runs allowed in an inning tied the franchise record set in 2000, and the loss dropped the Mariners to 83-69.
As of Tuesday night, the Mariners remained in the American League’s third wild card spot, 1.5 games back of Tampa Bay and with a 3.5 game buffer of Baltimore. Seattle began a three-game home stand against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday, dropping the first game 5-0. The game was the second time Seattle has been shutout this month after scoring at least one run in each game since the All Star break up until Sept. 13.
In other news, the Mariners signed right-hander Luis Castillo to a five-year, $108 million contract extension. Castillo was acquired at the MLB’s trade deadline this year. Outfielder Julio Rodríguez was placed on the 10-day injured list with a lower back strain on Friday.
Seahawks
After a road loss to the San Francisco 49ers last week, the Seahawks returned home for a matchup against the 0-2 Atlanta Falcons. A week after allowing 189 rushing yards against the 49ers, the Falcons rushed for 179 yards on Sunday, led by Cordarrelle Patterson’s career-high 141 yards on 17 carries.
The Seattle defense played to stop the run in the first half, limiting Atlanta to 53 yards on the ground through the first 30 minutes. The game plan opened up the Falcon passing attack, where quarterback Marcus Mariota threw for 168 yards in the first half. Shifting to stopping Falcons in the pass game allowed Patterson to find success on the ground, where he recorded 107 rushing yards in the second half.
On the other side of the ball, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith completed 32 of 44 passes for 308 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Wide receiver DK Metcalf found the endzone for the first time in 2022, leaping over an Atlanta defender on an 18-yard strike from Smith. The Seahawk offense topped 400 yards for the first time this season, won the turnover battle and held the advantage in time of possession – and still lost.
In the first two games of the season, Seattle had 76 and 36 rushing yards against the Broncos and 49ers, respectively. Seattle matched that total on Sunday, rushing for 112 yards against the Falcons. Rashaad Penny led the way, totaling 66 yards on 12 carries with a long of 14 yards. Rookie second-round pick Kenneth Walker III had three carries for 19 yards.
The Seahawks are back in action on Sunday on the road against the Detroit Lions. Kickoff is at 10 a.m. at Ford Field.
Kraken
With the beginning of the NHL season less than two weeks away, the Seattle Kraken opened preseason play with a 2-0 record. The preseason began with back-to-back home games, both being 3-0 wins over the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames.
Following an inaugural season where the team went 27-49-6, the Kraken have four preseason games remaining before their season opener on the road against the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 12.
