Mariners Avoid Sweep

Going into the Yankees series the Mariners really needed a sweep to stay in the race for the wild card instead Sunday they avoided a sweep by the Yankees.

Again the Mariners offense wasn’t that much however they had good pitching and got runs when they counted. The Yankees were able get a run in the first inning but the Mariners on four consecutive single with two outs were able to score 2 runs. Cano, Cruz, Healy and Cameron Maybin hit those consecutive hits with Healy and Maybin hitting in Cano and Cruz. The Yankees tied the score at 2-2 with a run in the fourth inning.

Both starters C.C. Sabathia of the Yankees and Erasmo Ramirez went five innings giving up two runs each. So it stayed that way until the bottom of the eighth inning when Mitch Haniger drew a walk stole second base moved to third on a sacrifice bunt then slide just ahead of a throw when he went on contact on a hit up the middle to the shortstop who tried to nail him at home. Haniger was the player of the game besides when in the bottom of the ninth with two outs he dove for a catch that ended the game. If he hadn’t come up with the catch likely the hitter would have had at least a double or a triple so the Yankees could have tied the score. Edwin Diaz recorded his 54^th save of the game.

The Mariners had a starting lineup of all right handed hitters except Nelson Cruz so both Kyle Seager and Dee Gordon did not start. Actually neither one played in the game. In the sixth inning Denard Span pitched hit for Cameron Maybin though he had a good day at the plate. Kristopher Negron who started at third base in place of Seager made his first start of the season for the Mariners. The Mariners acquired him on August 30 from the Arizona Diamondbacks on a minor league deal. He was called up when the Pacific Coast season ended. Dan Vogelbach making his first appearance since being called up pinched hit for Negron in the seventh hit however he flied out. Gordon Beckham went to play third base. #45

The Oakland A’s continue winning so the odd of the Mariners are becoming almost impossible though they are not out of the race yet. The A’s continue to be hot going 7-3 in the last ten games while the Mariners are 5-5. The A’s are seven and a half games ahead of the Mariners for the second wild card. Say that the Mariners go 15-4 in their remaining nineteen games the A’s just have to go 7-11 in eighteen games. I guess this could happen but the way the Mariners have been playing and so the same goes for the A’s this is impossible. The Mariners would have to look at going 8-2 in the next ten games followed by 7-2 in the last nine games of the season. In the same period the A’s have to go 4-6 in the next ten followed by 3-5 in their final eight games. This does happen than a tie then they would play a tiebreaker to face likely the Yankees.

Unfortunately the A’s got hot in June or the Mariners may have made the playoffs with ninety wins or less. For the Mariners to reach ninety wins they have to go 11-8 giving them a final record of 90-72. Right now the A’s have eighty-seven wins so they only need three more to reach that number of ninety. If were not for the fact that the Mariners haven’t reached the playoffs for seventeen years we would be proud what accomplishments they have made this season plus the fact that they had an eleven game lead back in June over the A’s.

Although they most likely won’t make the playoffs this year we know the progress they have over the last several seasons and the fact that some seasons with ninety wins they would be in the playoffs. I am sure we all hope they can end the season on a high note instead of how they have been playing the last half of the season.

At the beginning of the season we would have thought that the starting rotation would be the guys keeping us out of the playoffs instead it has been the middle relievers and the offense; both areas for the Mariners to beef up during the off-season. Go M’s.