Mariners' Trent Thornton: Impressive for fourth win
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Thornton (4-3) got the win against the Cardinals on Sunday, firing two scoreless innings during which he allowed a hit and recorded two strikeouts.
Thornton played a pivotal role in the Mariners' pitching plans Sunday, providing two nearly perfect innings following an earlier-than-expected call from the bullpen due to Luis Castillo's exit as a result of a hamstring strain. Thornton threw 28 pitches over his two frames and produced his 10th scoreless appearance in his last 11 outings, lowering his ERA under 4.00 (3.99) in the process. Thornton's versatility has been leveraged frequently this season, as he's logged a career-high 64 appearances that have helped him to a career-best nine holds and his most wins since he was primarily a starter for the Blue Jays in his rookie 2019 campaign.
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Mariners' Trent Thornton: Saddled with loss Tuesday
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Thornton (3-3) took the loss against the Athletics on Tuesday, allowing an earned run on two hits and a walk over one-third of an inning. He struck out one.
Thornton was tasked with preserving a 2-2 tie when he entered in the ninth, and after retiring the dangerous Brent Rooker looking, he never recorded another out. Seth Brown would subsequently walk it off for the Athletics with a single that plated JJ Bleday, snapping an eight-appearance scoreless streak for Thornton and saddling him with his first loss since July 22. The veteran right-hander has been a mostly effective option for Seattle, but his presence in a high-leverage spot Tuesday may have been due to the fact closer Andres Munoz is battling elbow soreness.
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Mariners' Trent Thornton: Picks up first save
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Thornton recorded the first save of his MLB career in a win over the Rays on Wednesday, firing a perfect ninth inning.
Ryne Stanek worked the eighth and Andres Munoz faltered with the save opportunity to open the ninth, failing to record an out and leaving Thornton to inherit a bases-loaded jam. The right-hander deftly managed the dangerous scenario, inducing a fielder's choice groundout from Richie Palacios that allowed Josh Lowe to score but then retiring Amed Rosario on a game-ending double play. The one run went on Munoz's tab, affording Thornton his sixth scoreless outing in his last eight trips to the mound -- including his third straight -- as well as his first career save.
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Mariners' Trent Thornton: Snags third win Wednesday
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Thornton (3-1) got the win over the White Sox on Wednesday, firing a scoreless ninth inning during which he recorded a strikeout.
It was a bit of welcome deja vu for Thornton on Wednesday, as he captured a victory against the White Sox via a crisp 11-pitch outing for the second straight night. The right-hander has lowered his ERA and WHIP down to 3.30 and 1.03, respectively, impressive figures that complement his trio of victories and eight holds across 30 appearances.
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Mariners' Trent Thornton: Gets second win Tuesday
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Thornton (2-1) got the win against the White Sox on Tuesday, firing 1.2 scoreless innings while recording two strikeouts.
Thornton was rewarded for his pristine work -- he cruised through his six-out outing on 11 pitches, 10 of which found the strike zone -- when Cal Raleigh drove home the tying and go-ahead runs in the home half of the seventh inning after the reliever had thrown his last pitch. Thornton has bounced back from a rare stumble against the Angels on May 31 (three runs allowed over two-thirds of an inning) to produce scoreless efforts in three of his subsequent four appearances, a span in which he's recorded a pair of holds in addition to Tuesday's win.
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Mariners' Trent Thornton: Takes loss Sunday
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Thornton (0-1) took the loss against the Diamondbacks on Sunday, allowing an earned run on a hit and a walk over one inning.
Thornton was entrusted with preserving a 2-2 tie when he entered in the eighth inning, but he set himself up for some trouble by issuing a leadoff walk to Kevin Newman and subsequently surrendered a double to Ketel Marte that plated him with the go-ahead run. The Mariners would prove unable to overcome the one-run deficit, saddling Thornton with the loss. The stumble snapped what had been a near month-long stretch of impressive pitching for Thornton, who hadn't allowed a run in 10 consecutive appearances and had lowered his ERA from 13.50 to 0.84 in the process.
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Mariners' Trent Thornton: Solid through five appearances
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Thornton has pitched 4.2 innings across five Cactus League appearances, allowing four runs (two earned) on three hits and four walks while recording two strikeouts.
The right-hander's numbers are a bit deceiving, as all of his trouble has come in just two of those outings. Thornton has otherwise posted a trio of one-inning scoreless appearances after impressing last season following his arrival in a trade with the Blue Jays. The 30-year-old has 36 career starts at the big-league level, and Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports that manager Scott Servais plans to deploy Thornton in a multi-inning role out of the bullpen when necessary.
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Mariners' Trent Thornton: Gets $1.2 million from Mariners
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Thornton signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract with the Mariners on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
Thornton proved to be a valuable addition to Seattle's bullpen after he was traded from Toronto in July. He logged a 2.08 ERA and 1.08 WHIP through 26 innings with the Mariners and figures to be used often in high-leverage situations in 2024.
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Mariners' Trent Thornton: Takes second loss Monday
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Thornton (0-2) took the extra-innings loss against the Angels on Monday, allowing three unearned runs on two hits over one-third of an inning. He struck out one.
Thornton entered in the 11th inning hoping to preserve a 5-5 tie and got matters off on the right foot with a strikeout of Logan O'Hoppe before allowing consecutive singles, the latter plating automatic runner Kyren Paris. That led to Thornton's exit, but he was subsequently charged with two more unearned runs that were helped along by fielding errors. Thornton has now allowed at least one unearned run in three straight appearances following a stretch of eight straight scoreless outings, yet he still carries a stellar 1.85 ERA across 24.1 innings over 20 appearances between the Blue Jays and Mariners this season.
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Mariners' Trent Thornton: Serving as opener Saturday
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Thornton will serve as the Mariners' opening pitcher Saturday against the Rays, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
Like many relievers, Thornton broke into the big leagues as a starter, but he's pitched exclusively in relief for the past three seasons, while his three "starts" in 2021 were similar opener appearances. Thornton has thrown two innings in both of his last two appearances, but he's unlikely to throw much more than that Saturday before turning the game over to Luke Weaver, who is expected to work in bulk relief.
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Mariners' Trent Thornton: Takes first loss Sunday
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Thornton (0-1) took the extra-inning loss against the Orioles on Sunday, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits over one inning. He struck out one.
Thornton's outing was actually better than his final line would indicate, as his one major mistake was a four-seam fastball that Cedric Mullins deposited in the right-field bleachers with Gunnar Henderson aboard for what would prove to be the game-winning homer. Thornton owned a solid 2.53 ERA and 9.3 K/9 across 10.2 innings between his time with the Blue Jays and Mariners coming into Sunday, so he's largely been a trustworthy bullpen option. It's worth noting his appearance in such a high-leverage spot was atypical and the byproduct of Justin Topa, Matt Brash and Andres Munoz all having already worked an inning apiece earlier in the game.
The Mariners recalled Thornton from Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday
Thornton was acquired by the Mariners from Toronto on Wednesday and will now make his way to the big-league club after throwing one scoreless inning in Tacoma. Thornton has allowed one run over 5.1 frames in the majors this season and figures to serve in middle relief while in Seattle.
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Mariners' Trent Thornton: Acquired by Mariners
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The Mariners acquired Thornton from the Blue Jays on Wednesday in exchange for Mason McCoy, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Thornton had been designated for assignment last week and now lands in another organization. The right-hander has posted a 4.77 ERA over 108 appearances -- 35 starts -- at the major-league level covering parts of five seasons. Thornton has pitched almost exclusively as a reliever since 2021.
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Blue Jays' Trent Thornton: Designated for assignment
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Thornton was designated for assignment Friday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for the newly acquired Genesis Cabrera. Thornton has pitched well during his brief time in the majors this season but has spent the bulk of the year at Triple-A Buffalo, where he's posted a 4.18 ERA in 22 relief appearances.
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Blue Jays' Trent Thornton: Optioned to Triple-A
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The Blue Jays optioned Thornton to Triple-A Buffalo on Saturday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
Thornton has thrown 5.1 major-league innings this season, and he surrendered his first earned run of the year Friday against Boston. He'll now head back to Triple-A, where he holds a 3.04 ERA and 1.51 WHIP through 23.2 frames. Thomas Hatch will come up from Buffalo to replace Thornton, though Thornton could return to Toronto if he keeps performing well in the minors.
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Blue Jays' Trent Thornton: Makes return to big leagues
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The Blue Jays recalled Thornton from Triple-A Buffalo on Monday.
He'll join the big club for the first time this season after he had previously been optioned to Triple-A late in spring training. Over 23.2 innings out of the Buffalo bullpen, Thornton pitched to a 3.04 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 22:14 K:BB. He'll presumably be limited to lower-leverage spots in relief while he's up with the big club.
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Blue Jays' Trent Thornton: Optioned to Triple-A
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Thornton was optioned to Triple-A by the Blue Jays on Saturday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
Thornton will begin the season in the minors after posting a 6.48 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 8.1 innings in the Grapefruit League. The right-hander was relatively effective with a 4.11 ERA over 32 appearances with Toronto in 2022, but he'll be an up-and-down option for the Blue Jays to begin -- and likely end -- the 2023 campaign.
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Blue Jays' Trent Thornton: Reaches deal with Toronto
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Thornton and the Blue Jays agreed on a one-year, $1 million contract Friday to avoid arbitration, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
The right-hander compiled a 4.11 ERA and 1.24 WHIP with 37 strikeouts and three holds over 46 innings in 32 appearances with Toronto in 2022. Thornton will provide bullpen depth for the Jays again in 2023.
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Blue Jays' Trent Thornton: Absent from wild-card roster
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Thornton did not make the Blue Jays' 26-man wild-card roster, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.
Thornton failed to make the postseason roster after he was called up Wednesday to pitch in Toronto's doubleheader versus the Orioles, tossing two hitless innings while striking out a batter. After posting a 4.11 ERA over 32 appearances this season, the right-hander seems unlikely to be considered for an active roster spot moving forward this postseason.
