Gilbert dominant on mound and gets help from Rodríguez in the field as Mariners top Reds 3-1

SEATTLE (AP) — Logan Gilbert allowed three hits in 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball, Julio Rodríguez made two highlight defensive plays in the seventh inning to preserve Seattle’s lead, and the Mariners beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-1 on Tuesday night.

Jonatan Clase had an RBI double in his second major league game and Mitch Haniger added a key two-out RBI single. But Gilbert was overpowering for most of the night and got help from Rodríguez in the field.

“Thank God for Julio. What he does out there is unbelievable and we've kind of come to expect that level of play,” Gilbert said.

Rodríguez ran down Spencer Steer’s drive to deep left-center on the warning track for the second out of the seventh inning. Gilbert then walked Jake Fraley and was pulled. Elly De La Cruz walked against reliever Andrés Muñoz, and Cincinnati looked like it was going to pull within one run after Nick Martini singled.

But Rodríguez quickly came up throwing and nailed De La Cruz at third base to end the inning before Fraley crossed the plate.

“Once I got it I just went straight up to third because I was expecting him to go,” Rodríguez said. “I mean he's one of the fastest in the league and I know he likes to run, too.”

Muñoz struck out the side in the eighth. Cincinnati loaded the bases in the ninth off Ryne Stanek after two walks sandwiched around an error. Taylor Saucedo got pinch-hitter Tyler Stephenson to fly out to end it, earning his first save.

Gilbert (1-0) retired 12 of the first 13 batters and faced and gave up an infield single to Fraley in the second inning and singles to Steer and De La Cruz in the fifth. Gilbert struck out six and the walk to Fraley on a 3-2 pitch ended Seattle’s franchise record-setting run of consecutive innings pitched without allowing a free pass at 35.

“I don't feel like tonight was super crisp, but my pitches I think were good enough to get outs, get strikeouts when I needed,” said Gilbert, who has pitched at least 6 2/3 innings and allowed one earned run in three of his four starts this season.

Stuart Fairchild had an RBI groundout in the fifth that scored Fraley for Cincinnati’s only run.

Clase got his first extra-base hit when he lined a two-out double off Cincinnati starter Hunter Greene in the fourth inning to score Mitch Garver from first base. De La Cruz’s relay throw beat Garver to the plate, but catcher Luke Maile couldn’t handle the throw near the dirt and get the tag on Garver cleanly.

Garver drove in a run with a bases-loaded walk from Emilio Pagán (1-1) and Haniger tacked on an important run with his two-out RBI single in the sixth.

Greene labored through four innings, needing 98 pitches to record 12 outs. He struck out eight and walked three but allowed only one run.

“Hunter was good. I thought he had good stuff, just too many foul balls and a lot of pitches in four innings. So, if it wasn’t for that it could have been a different night for Hunter,” Reds manager David Bell said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Reds: Jeimer Candelario was scratched from the lineup due to an illness. Bell said Candelario felt well enough to play on Monday, but was sent back to the hotel from the ballpark on Tuesday with flulike symptoms.

UP NEXT

Reds: LHP Andrew Abbott (1-1, 2.60) allowed one run over seven innings against the White Sox in his last start.

Mariners: RHP Bryce Miller (2-1, 1.96) looks for another quality outing after throwing 6 1/3 innings in his last start. Miller has not allowed an earned run in his last 15 1/3 innings.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, left, greets relief pitcher Tayler Saucedo after the team's win over the Cincinnati Reds in a baseball game Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Cincinnati Reds' Jonathan India, left, puts his hands around the bicep of Will Benson, right, in the dugout before the team's baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene throws against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners' Mitch Garver slides home to score on a double by Jonatan Clase, while Cincinnati Reds catcher Luke Maile drops the ball during the fourth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners' Jonatan Clase follows through on an RBI double next to Cincinnati Reds catcher Luke Maile during the fourth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners' Jonatan Clase (5) talks with Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) after hitting an RBI double during the fourth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners' Mitch Haniger hits an RBI single against the Cincinnati Reds during the sixth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodríguez celebrates in the dugout after scoring on a bases-loaded walk during the fifth inning of the team's baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez jumps up to make the catch on a line drive by Cincinnati Reds' Spencer Steer during the seventh inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert throws to a Cincinnati Reds batter during the seventh inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Politicians and dog experts are criticizing South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem after she wrote in a new book about killing a rambunctious puppy. The story — and the vilification she received on social media — has some wondering whether she's still a viable potential running mate for presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Experts who work with hunting dogs like Noem’s said she should have trained — not killed — the pup, or found other options if the dog was out of control.

Noem has tried to reframe the story from two decades ago as an example of her willingness to make tough decisions. She wrote on social media that the 14-month-old wirehaired pointer named Cricket had shown aggressive behavior by biting.

“As I explained in the book, it wasn’t easy,” she said on X. “But often the easy way isn’t the right way.”

Still, Democrats and even some conservatives have been critical.

“This story is not landing. It is not a facet of rural life or ranching to shoot dogs,” conservative commentator Tomi Lahrenco posted online.

Several posters described Noem as Cruella de Vil, the villain from the Disney classic “101 Dalmatians.” A meme features a series of dogs offering looks of horror.

“I’m not sure which thing she did was stupider: The fact that she murdered the dog, or the fact that she was stupid enough to publish it in a book,” said Joan Payton, of the German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America. The club itself described the breed as “high-energy,” and said Noem was too impatient and her use of a shock collar for training was botched.

But South Dakota Democratic Senate Minority Leader Reynold Nesiba considered the disclosure more calculated than stupid. He said the story has circulated for years among lawmakers that Noem killed a dog in a “fit of anger” and that there were witnesses. He speculated that it was coming out now because Noem is being vetted as a candidate for vice president.

“She knew that this was a political vulnerability, and she needed to put it out there, before it came up in some other venue," he said. “Why else would she write about it?”

In her soon-to-be-released book, “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward,” of which The Guardian obtained a pre-release copy, Noem writes that she took Cricket on a bird hunting trip with older dogs in hopes of calming down the wild puppy. Instead, Cricket chased the pheasants, attacked a family's chickens during a stop on the way home and then “whipped around to bite me," she wrote.

Noem's spokesperson didn't immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press about whether the dog actually bit her or just tried to do so, or whether Noem had to seek medical treatment. The book's publisher declined to provide AP an advance copy of the book.

Afterward, Noem wrote, she led Cricket to a gravel pit and killed her. She said she also shot a goat that the family owned, saying it was mean and liked to chase her kids.

The response to the story was swift: “Post a picture with your dog that doesn’t involve shooting them and throwing them in a gravel pit. I’ll start,” Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz posted on X. The post included a photo of him feeding ice cream off a spoon to his Labrador mix named Scout.

President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign added a photo of the president strolling on the White House lawn with one of his three German Shepherds. Two of Biden's dogs, Major and Commander, were removed following aggressive behavior, including toward White House and Secret Service personnel. The oldest, Champ, died.

Democrat Hillary Clinton reposted a 2021 comment in which she warned, “Don’t vote for anyone you wouldn’t trust with your dog.” She added Monday, “Still true.”

Conservative political commentator Michael Knowles said on his titular podcast that while Noem could have handled the situation differently, “there is nothing wrong with a human being humanely killing an animal.” He later added: “Fifty years ago, this political story would not have made anyone in most of America bat an eyelash. And the fact that it does today tells you something, not about the changing morality of putting down a farm animal, but about the changing politics of America.”

He later said that the story is “extremely stupid and insignificant” because Noem doesn’t have a chance of being selected as Trump’s running mate.

Payton, who is a delegate to the American Kennel Club and lives in Bakersfield, California, said the situation was a mess from beginning to end.

“That was a puppy that had no experience, obviously no training,” she said. “If you know a minuscule amount about a bird dog, you don’t take a 14 month old out with trained adult dogs and expect them to perform. That’s not how it works.”

The club itself said puppies learn best by hunting one-to-one with their owners, not with other dogs.

When problems arose she should have called the breeder, Payton said, or contacted rescue organizations that find new homes for the breed.

Among those groups is the National German Wirehaired Pointer Rescue, which called on Noem in a Facebook post to take accountability for her “horrific decision” and to educate the public that there are more humane solutions.

“Sporting breeds are bred with bird/hunting instincts but it takes training and effort to have a working field dog,” the group's Board of Directors wrote in the post.

Payton described Cricket as nothing more than “a baby,” saying the breed isn't physically mature until it is 2 years old and not fully trained it's 3- to 5-years old.

“This was a person that I had thought was a pretty good lady up until now," she said. "She was somebody that I would have voted for. But I think she may have shot herself in the foot.”

Politicians and dog experts vilify South Dakota governor after she writes about killing her dog

FILE - South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem attends an event Jan. 10, 2024, at the state Capitol in Pierre, S.D. The Guardian has obtained a copy of Noem's soon-to-be released book, where she writes about killing an unruly dog, and a smelly goat, too. She writes, according to the Guardian, that the tale was included to show her willingness to do anything "difficult, messy and ugly." (AP Photo/Jack Dura, File)

Politicians and dog experts vilify South Dakota governor after she writes about killing her dog