Mariners Win Opener in First Game in Arizona

I wonder how many are surprised as I am with the pitching in his three starts since coming off the disabled list and rehab assignment by Erasmo Ramirez.

Right now Ramirez is one of the best pitchers going for the Mariners besides Mike Leake who is expected to pitch Sunday in Arizona after missing his last start because of illness.

Ramirez was able to go six innings with a quality start as they call it these days giving up six hits walking one batter striking out six and giving up three runs. Actually only one was an earned run since the other two scored because of throwing errors by Jean Segura and Dee Gordon who are both generally very steady in the field.

Mitch Haniger led off the game with a single one of three hits he got for the Mariners against his old club. Jean Segura was considered the major parcel of the trade but Haniger is looking like a guy that might turn out to be the major player in the deal though Segura is no slouch either as he is batting .315 right now. Segura actually drove in Haniger as part of the four run inning the Mariners had in the third inning to take a 4-0 lead. The Mariners extended the lead on a home run in the fifth inning before the Diamondbacks scored a run in the bottom of the same inning to make it 5-1. The Mariners then scored their sixth and final run in the sixth inning before the Diamondbacks scored two runs on the errors by Segura and Gordon to make the final score 6-3.

This was a game where the Mariners were able to add on after scoring the four runs in the third inning. Lately the Mariners have had trouble adding on runs along with the pitching whether the starters or the bullpen.

The bullpen was able to shut down the Diamondbacks without giving up a hit in three innings. Nick Vincent took over for Ramirez after Gamel pitched him for Ramirez in top of the seventh inning. Vincent was taken over in the eighth by Colome who like Vincent struck out two batters and then Edwin Diaz struck out one batter while recording his forty-ninth save  of the season now a Mariners record. If you have followed the Mariners closely you know on his next save the fiftieth after words manager Scott Servais will have to get a Diaz haircut. Something they decided on early in the season if Diaz was able to do so. This was finally a game that Diaz was able to close out without having just a one run lead going into the ninth.

The Mariners finally won a game where the offense and the pitching came together. It has been a while since this has happened. We hope in the Mariners final thirty-three games this will happen more often than not.

Wade LeBlanc who has had his troubles of late starts for the Mariners Saturday night. This is another game the Mariners have a good shot of winning if LeBlanc is able to pitch five or six successful inning. Robbie Ray starts for the Diamondbacks. He has an era of 4.91 in sixteen starts and is averaging five innings per start. We hope that he is able to only go the five innings if not less in this game. It would be nice the Mariners could score four runs at least early in the game like Friday night and then add on as well. This will be important since Zach Greinke will go on Sunday. He has a record of 12-8 with an era of 3.09. The Mariners hope that Mike Leake who faces Greinke on Sunday will have an outstanding game like in his last outing. How well he does in part is how much he is over his illness. If he does pitch well this make a good game to see and who knows the Mariners could sweep the series which would be very good indeed. The Mariners need to take as many series the rest of the way as they can to have any chance to make the playoffs.

The Mariners are hoping that James Paxton will be available in the A’s series that will take place next weekend. After the Diamondbacks the Mariners will face the Padres in San Diego for two games. Later they will play the Padres in Seattle.

The A’s will be for four games ending the month of August and begin September. The Mariners will have reinforcements at the end of the series against Oakland. It would be very good if the Mariners can take at least three of the four games before going into Oakland while at the same time take three of four in Oakland. That would give the Mariners six wins in eight games and put them in good position to take over the playoff spot from Oakland. Although it won’t be easy the Mariners did do a similar deal in 1995. Actually that year they began September in third place and tied the division leader the Angels at the end then had to play an extra game where the Mariners won. Wouldn’t it be exciting if the Mariners could pull something almost like this again for their first return to the playoffs in seventeen years. Go M’s.