Tuesday watchpoints: Altavilla pitches his way back into the mix

The key moment in Monday’s hold-on victory over Colorado came when the Mariners summoned right-hander Dan Altavilla to face dangerous Mark Reynolds with the tying run on base with two outs in the eighth inning.

It was a high-leverage situation for a struggling reliever seeking to unlock his high-ceiling potential. Manager Scott Servais could have summoned veteran Steve Cishek or called on closer Edwin Diaz for a four-out save.

Instead, after a brief conversation with pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr., Servais opted for Altavilla, who had a 5.94 ERA and had given up 12 runs in his previous 12 2/3 innings.

"It was also an opportunity," Servais said. "I said to Mel, `Let’s find out where Dan…