Mariners Split With Padres

The Seattle Mariners beat the San Diego Padres in a late Wednesday afternoon game in Seattle 3-2. This took place after losing on Tuesday night.

The Padres took the initial lead when lead-off hitter Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a solo home run. The Mariners tied the score after Tom Murphy hit a triple then scored on a grounder by Kyle Seager.  The Mariners took the lead in the 4^th inning when Seager hit a home run.

Yusei Kikuchi pitched a solid five innings giving up just the one run in the first inning. In total, he gave up four hits. He did walk three batters but struck out eight as well.

Kikuchi had struggled in July going 0-2 in four starters. His last win was on June 23 over the Baltimore Orioles at home. We hope this help Kikuchi the rest of the season.

Padres tied the score in the sixth inning on a home run by DH Francisco Mejia off of reliever Brandon Brennan in his first appearance after coming off the injured list on Tuesday. Last time Brennan pitched was on June 13.

The Mariners scored their third run in the bottom of the eighth inning. Mallex Smith hit a bloop double then JP Crawford bunted the ball however Smith was found safe when the Padres tried to get him at third base. Smith scored on a grounder off the bat of Dan Vogelbach the Padres tried to make a double-play on but found safe at first.

Anthony Bass pitched the ninth inning giving up a single; he recorded his second save of the season. Right now the closer spot belongs to him now Elias and Strickland were traded to the Washington Nationals.

The Mariners record now is 48-68. The Los Angeles Angels are on a skid at 56-59 so the Mariners could still catch them so not to end in last place in the West Division. I know some fans are OK the Mariners be where they are so they can pick higher in next year’s amateur draft.

For the Mariners to start winning though the offense has to catch on fire. Get back to where they had been to have any real chance to go on a winning streak. These last two months is to see where the future of the pitching comes from.

The Mariners have Thursday off then play the Tampa Bay Rays for three games. The Rays have a record of 66-50, second place in the American League East. They are ten games behind the Yankees who likely won’t be caught. The Mariners will have Marco Gonzales going on Friday night while the Rays will probably go with an opener. On Saturday the Mariners may go with an opener. Enjoy the day off. Oh don’t forget the Seattle Seahawks open up Thursday night against the Denver Broncos in the first exhibition game of the season. Go teams!