Mariners Take Series Over Tigers

For most of Sunday's game it looked like the Mariners were willing to split the series against the Tigers. Francisco Liriano  was pitching hitting a no-hitter into the seventh inning when Mitch Haniger hit a single to end  it. The Mariners were down 2-0 after Wade LeBlanc gave up a two-run homer in the first inning off of former Mariner John Hicks. Other than the first inning LeBlanc pitched well into the sixth inning when he was lifted with one out. The Mariners bullpen did a good job going the rest of the way through the eleventh inning when  Jean Segura hit a single to drive in Dee Gordon for the win 3-2.  The bullpen did an outstanding job giving up three hits in five and two-thirds innings along with no walks and striking out seven. 

At this point without Cano we are not sure how the Mariners offense will run for the next couple months or so along with the fact that Nelson Cruz wasn't in the lineup either. It is a good start though without Cano in the lineup. I am sure the guys will show what they have going on.

What I didn't like in the game was that the Mariners used Zunino as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning with one out though there was a runner on base. Zunino is an all or nothing hitter so the chances are likely he will do nothing which is what happened.  In fact I don't like pinch hitting anyway because most of the time it doesn't work  and in the case of Zunino he doesn't do it enough to get good at it anyway. The  Mariners have a small bench and in this case Ben Gamel had already had been used. I would only use a pinch hitter under certain circumstances like if you have a runners on second and third with less than two outs and using a contact hitter or another situation would be needing someone to bunt to move the runner along. So Servais should stay away from using pinch hitters is what I am  saying.

The Mariners have Monday off and  then play three games against the A's in Oakland before heading home over the weekend for a series against the Minnesota Twins and then four against the Texas Rangers to finish the month of May. In those ten games it would be real nice if the Mariners could win seven of those games.  The Mariners start June at home against Tampa Bay before going on the road. 

The Mariners now have a record of 27-19 and being two games behind Houston and a game and half ahead of the Los Angeles Angels. Go M's.