Sometimes, the decision to buy or sell at the trade deadline comes down to a single game.

Whether that’s the case with the Seattle Mariners might not be decided until Monday afternoon.

All-Star Randy Arozarena, whose name reportedly has come up should the Mariners sell, made a case against that Saturday. He recorded a double, home run and scored three times — including the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning — in a 4-3 victory against the Minnesota Twins.

The three-game series wraps up Sunday afternoon in Seattle.

The Mariners, who are chasing both Houston and Texas in the American League West race, snapped a three-game skid and won for just the third time in 11 games.

“It’s huge. It really is,” said Mariners starter Logan Gilbert, who didn’t get a decision despite pitching seven solid innings.

“I know we say that all the time, but like today was big. This series is big. That’s a good team over there. We’re at that point when it’s like you’ve just got to find a way, find a way to win, find a way to get it done, whatever it takes.”

The Mariners took a 3-0 lead in the first two innings before their bats went quiet.

Luke Keaschall and Trevor Larnach went deep as the Twins rallied to tie it.

Arozarena led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a double down the left-field line off Twins reliever Andrew Morris and advanced to third as Dominic Canzone flew out to the warning track in left. The Twins intentionally walked Julio Rodriguez to set up a potential inning-ending double play with Cal Raleigh at the plate.

Raleigh hit a chopper to first baseman Royce Lewis, who stepped on the bag and turned toward second to try to throw out Rodriguez, who had stopped midway between the bases to get into a rundown. Arozarena took off for the plate and slid around the tag of catcher Victor Caratini to score the winning run.

“Once (Lewis) tags first then it’s a situation, even if Julio gets in a rundown, then Randy’s going to score,” Twins manager Derek Shelton said. “So, it’s got to be one of those ones that goes to second. We got to get the force first to come back. One of the reasons we walked Julio there was because we thought we had a chance to double up Cal if he put the ball on the ground and we just were not able to finish the play.”

The Mariners used closer Andres Munoz for 1 1/3 innings, and he ended up with the victory.

“When you’re close like this, everything, every win now has a greater importance,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said.

The Twins are set to send Taj Bradley (9-4, 3.65 ERA) to the mound Sunday in the series finale.

George Kirby (8-9, 3.98), whose name also has been mentioned in trade reports, is scheduled to start for Seattle in a matchup of right-handers.

Bradley has received no-decisions in his past two starts against Cleveland and Kansas City despite giving up three runs on five hits over 13 innings with 15 strikeouts. He’s 0-0 with a 4.91 ERA in four career starts against Seattle.

Kirby gave up a season-high seven runs over four innings in a 7-3 loss July 27 at Texas. He’s 1-2 with a 3.90 ERA in five previous starts against the Twins.

This will be the second time this season Bradley and Kirby have squared off. Neither got a decision April 29 in Minneapolis in a game the Mariners rallied to win 5-3 on Cole Young’s two-run single that put Seattle ahead in the top of the ninth.

Bradley went seven innings and allowed two runs on four hits, with two walks and seven strikeouts. Kirby gave up two runs on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings, with two walks and five strikeouts.

–Field Level Media

When Jake Cronenworth fell behind 0-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday night, he knew what had to be done.

“Just battle, that’s about it,” he said. “Just find a pitch to hit, whether it’s 0-0 or with two strikes, that’s all.”

He did and the ensuing single to center gave the San Diego Padres a 6-5 win over the visiting San Francisco Giants, as well as a chance to win the teams’ four-game series when it wraps up on Sunday.

In winning for the seventh time in eight games, San Diego stayed a game behind Philadelphia for the National League’s final wild-card spot. It also assured that it will plunge into Monday’s trading deadline looking to add instead of subtract.

Starting pitching figures to be the emphasis. Even though the Padres have found some success with manager Craig Stammen’s “pitching chaos” strategy, employing a variety of starters to piggyback each other three of every five games in this stretch, it seems unlikely they can make it stick for the last two months.

That’s why Saturday’s news that veterans Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove threw bullpen sessions, perhaps heralding rehab assignments soon for both, was welcome news. Pivetta (elbow) has been out since mid-April and Musgrove (Tommy John surgery) hasn’t pitched since the playoffs in October 2024.

“It’s like they are starting their regular five-day routine,” remarked Stammen.

Michael King (6-7, 3.38) is looking for his first win since July 8. He was no-decisioned Tuesday night in his team’s 8-7 win over Colorado, allowing four runs on six hits and a walk in six innings while fanning six. King is 3-1 with a 2.22 earned run average in five career outings against San Francisco.

Opposing King will be Landen Roupp (7-9, 4.12), who is coming off an 8-2 loss Tuesday night to Milwaukee. He needed 84 pitches to make it through 3 2/3 innings, yielding four hits and four runs with three walks and a strikeout.

Roupp is 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA in eight career games against San Diego, with the win occurring on March 30. He blanked the Padres through six innings, allowing two hits, two walks, while fanning seven.

For the second straight day, the Giants made as much news off the field as they did on it. Manager Tony Vitello held out second baseman Luis Arraez, who many think will be dealt by the trading deadline, due to cramping.

Vitello also sprung to the defense of shortstop Willy Adames after Apple TV announcer Wayne Randazzo implied during Friday night’s 7-0 loss that Adames was slow to commit to the workload asked of him by first-year infield coach Ron Washington.

“Any questioning of anyone’s work ethic that has to work with Wash is not right,” Vitello said. “Anyone who’s around Wash, you don’t have a chance to buy in. It’s not an option. You do. And then the work is put in.”

Vitello also noted that Adames has battled a back injury that has limited his pregame work on some days.

–Field Level Media

Not only did the Los Angeles Dodgers land the prize of the trade deadline when they acquired Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers on Saturday, they managed to retain right-hander Emmet Sheehan in the process.

One initial report had Sheehan as part of the return package to the Tigers, before it was learned he would be staying put. Neither the Tigers nor Dodgers have officially confirmed the trade.

Still, Sheehan indeed will take the mound for the Dodgers on Sunday night in Los Angeles as they try to avoid a sweep by the Boston Red Sox.

Sheehan (4-7, 4.95 ERA) has been on something of a revival of late by allowing two earned runs or fewer in four of his past five starts. He gave up one run over five innings in a no-decision against the New York Mets in an 8-3 loss last Sunday.

“I think last week, I found something a little bit into that start where I was able to carry it and kind of get some momentum going into this one, so yeah, I feel good,” Sheehan told SportsNet LA.

In his lone career start against the Red Sox, Sheehan earned the 5-2 win on July 25, 2015. He allowed two runs on three hits and two walks and struck out five over five innings.

Los Angeles did some shuffling with its bullpen on Saturday when right-handers Kyle Hurt and Wyatt Mills were recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Left-hander Cole Irvin was designated for assignment while right-hander Will Klein (elbow) was placed on the injured list.

And while preventing a sweep is a high priority, there is now slightly more anticipation for the days ahead when Skubal arrives.

“I was hearing some rumors about that, but then it actually happened and I’m pretty surprised,” Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto said through an interpreter of the Skubal acquisition.

After the Red Sox won the series opener 9-4 on Friday, they set up the chance for the sweep with a 3-2 victory on Saturday. Ceddanne Rafaela hit two home runs in the victory after he also went deep Friday. The three home runs came in a span of four at-bats over the two games.

“He’s otherworldly right now,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. “He’s been good all year long and obviously the home runs are showing up on this road trip, and so many of them massive home runs. I think it’s safe to say he’s been a key contributor to most of these wins.”

Boston will send left-hander Jake Bennett (6-4, 2.74) to the mound in a nationally televised standalone game.

The rookie will be making his 12th career start and just saw a five-start win streak come to an end when he gave up three runs over 6 1/3 innings on Tuesday in a 4-3 loss against the Athletics.

Boston was without first baseman Willson Contreras on Saturday after he was hit in the helmet by a 95.4-mph fastball from Klein on Friday. His day off was a precaution with his status for Sunday still uncertain.

After his big night, Rafaela was asked about the Dodgers landing Skubal.

“I think they have everybody, probably,” Rafaela said. “I think good for them, they got a good pitcher. But I think we’re not going to pay too much attention to that and are looking forward to keep winning ballgames like we’re doing over here.”

–Field Level Media