another Loss To Yankees

Mike Leake had another good outing for the Mariners against the Yankees, however, they still lost because of lack of offense. Leake pitched seven innings giving up just one run on six hits. Also, he didn't walk a batter while striking out two. 

When Leake left the game the Mariners were losing 1-0. Connor Sadzeck pitched the eighth inning giving up two runs on three hits making it 3-0. Domingo Santana hit is 8th on the season. Final score Yankees 3 Mariners 1.

The Mariners ended up losing three out of the four games. Outside of Felix Hernandez, the other starters pitched wonderfully. The Mariners you could say should have or could have won three of the four games instead. The bullpen kept the Mariners from winning three games besides the offense in a couple of games.

The Mariners lost Dee Gordon who has been playing well all season especially recently had to leave the game after being hit in the wrist. He will have an MRI to see how bad the injury is. Dylan Moore took Gordon's spot at second base, however, we found out after the game he to had an injured wrist as well. Jay Bruce pinch hit for Moore in the 8th inning. The bottom of the inning Bruce went to first base, and Edwin Encarnacion was moved to 2nd base. On a hard-hitting grounder to his right, Encarnacion hurt his wrist as well. 

JP Crawford was scratched from the Tacoma Rainiers game. He is likely headed to Boston for the series against the Red Sox this weekend. Not sure how Gordon will be but it sounds likely Crawford will take the spot of Moore. We will know later on Friday. Gordon or Moore will probably have to go on the injured list. I am sure we will see Crawford at shortstop with Tim Beckham moving to second base. If both players go out the Mariners will have to make another move as well so another player might be on the way to Boston too. Have to find out the status of Encarnacion too.

In other local sports news, the Seattle Seahawks announced that they terminated Doug Baldwin's contract. There was talk recently that he might retire because of injuries. Sounds like the Seahawks forced his hand. Also, the Seahawks announced signing three players on Thursday. 

Have more updates on the Mariners and the Seahawks. 

Updated on the Mariners now. Both JP Crawford and Shed Long were added to the 25-man roster. Moore was put on the 10-day injured list. The Mariners optioned reliever Chasen Bradford to Tacoma. So right now Dee Gordon is on the roster though Crawford is starting at shortstop today and Beckham has been moved to second base. Encarnacion is at dh tonight with Jay Bruce at first base. This gives time to see how things go with Dee Gordon. The Mariners can bring Bradford back up if Gordon has to go on the disabled list. 

Mariners Look to Split Series Wit Yankees

Wednesday night the Seattle Mariners beat the Yankees big time 10-1. This was good after blowing Tuesday's game. 

Yusei Kikuchi pitched his second great game after only pitching one inning. It sounds like this is a good formula for Kikuchi.  He pitched into the 6th inning before the Yankees were able to get a hit. It would have been exciting if he had pitched a no-hitter since it was the anniversary of James Paxton's when he threw one last year in Toronto. Paxton to was supposed to pitch Wednesday night against the Mariners however went on the ten-day injured list. 

The Mariners were able to score five runs before the Yankees got to Kikuchi in the sixth inning. Kikuchi went seven and two-thirds innings giving up just three hits. He walked one batter and struck out three. Reliever Cory Gearrin finished the eighth inning giving up a hit and then striking the final batter. Connor Sadzeck pitched the 9th inning for the Mariners giving up just one hit.

The Mariners had three home runs in the game. Edwin Encarnacion hit a solo homer in the 5th inning, Ryon Healy a two-run homer in the 6th inning and Mitch Haniger a solo home run in the 9th inning. Healy had a great game hitting three doubles besides the home run. He is the second Mariner player ever to do so. The other was Ken Griffey Jr.

Mike Leake will be facing former Mariner J.A. Happ in the final game of the series Thursday night. Lineup not shown yet. Something unusual will update. 

Mariners Blow Game

The Seattle Mariners got an outstanding game out of starter Marco Gonzales. He went six innings giving up three hits and one run. Likely he would have gone further except rain came and it was delayed for an hour and a half. Edwin Encarnacion hit a home run in the top of the sixth inning to put the Mariners ahead 2-1.

Too bad the game resumed action after the one and a half hour delay. The Mariners would have won if the game ended then or at least before the ninth inning happened.

The Mariners were able to score two runs in the top of the 8th giving the Mariners the lead at the time 4-1. Brandon Brennan had some trouble in the bottom of the 8th, however, he escaped giving up only one run which happened on a wild pitch with two outs. 

So things still looked good going into the 9th inning with a 4-2 Mariner lead. The Mariners had the opportunity to score at least another run, however, Mitch Haniger hit a ball to the third baseman who threw home to get Dylan Moore pinch running for Ryon Healy at the plate. Moore went on the contact with the ball and was out easily. All Haniger had to do was get the ball into the deep outfield to score at least Moore. Dee Gordon was on second base so the Mariners could have had two runs with a single. 

Still the Mariners were up by two runs going into the bottom of the 9th inning however, the Yankees with two outs were able to tie the game with a two-run homer. The game could have gone into extra innings but no the Yankees got a walk-off hit as well.

So frustrating when your team is struggling to get wins recently and goes out blows it. This turns the whole series around and in favor of the Yankees. The question now will the Mariners be able to win a game the rest of the Yankee series or the road trip.

I know we were not expecting the Mariners to do well when the season began instead they got off to a tremendous start before showing their true colors. This game was not only winnable but it should have been a win. 

I don't know the trouble is with the pitching or hitting or poor coaching. Whatever the case things need to change or we will see a lot of bad baseball ahead. I don't know about you but I want to see some good baseball even if it isn't all the time. All I expect is for them to do the fundamentals of baseball and see where things go. 

Felix Hernandez Gives Up Bombs

I am sure we were hoping for a good pitching duel between Felix Hernandez and CC Sabathia on Monday Night in New York, however, it didn't turn out that way. Felix's fastball along with his secondary pitches didn't work well at all. He gave up a two-run homer in the first inning to Luke Voit the Yankee's first baseman. He batted second so you can see it didn't take long at all.

Had the home runs just ended in the first inning things would have been alright and the Mariners would have had a good chance in winning; however, Felix gave up two more home runs in the second giving the Yankees three more runs plus they added another run as well. In the third inning, the Yankees scored another run so before the Mariners could do anything to Sabathia they were down 7-0.

Domingo Santana who had been struggling lately hit a two-home run in the fourth inning with Edwin Encarnacion on base to make it a little interesting. Dee Gordon who doesn't hit many homers added a solo shot in the fifth inning. This is where the scoring ended in the game making the final 7-3.

The Mariners did have a chance to score additional runs in the second half of the game getting the bases loaded in two different innings but couldn't find a way to score even one run. Mitch Haniger hit a fly ball to left field which you would hope could score a run but he didn't hit it deep enough to score Ryon Healy from third. 

These days the Mariners can't score runs it seems unless it is a home run. These instances with the bases loaded it would have put them tied in the game with a grand slam but a sacrifice or a single would have scored one or two runs making the game more interesting. 

Right now this team is looking like some of the Mariner teams of the past. When they get good pitching they get little hitting and they have problems scoring when getting behind as well. Most of the runs produced in games this year have been in the first five innings of the game. Unable to score late whether to come back like in this one or adding on. 

We hope that Marco Gonzales can pitch well today and the Mariners can even this series. Go M's. 

Mariners Losing Streak Over

The Seattle Mariners ended their six-game losing streak in fine fashion beating the Cleveland Indians 10-0 on Sunday now to New York to face the Yankees for four games beginning Monday with Felix Hernandez on the mound. 

The Mariners scored four runs in the first inning with Jay Bruce hitting a grand slam with Mitch Haniger, Dan Vogelbach, and Edwin Encarnacion on base. Both Hinger and Encarnacion had home runs in the game as well. 

The only problem I saw was that the Mariners didn't score a run after the fifth inning. They haven't added on very well during the season. What I hope for is that they saved runs to go forward against the Yankees on Monday. 

 I am sure it isn't easy to pitch when you have a big lead like that but the Mariner pitchers were able to do so. Erik Swanson who started was able to get his first major league win went six innings. He gave up his only hit after throwing a no-hitter for five and two-third innings. It would have been nice if he could have gone another inning or more but he had already pitched more than one hundred pitches.

The bullpen did a fine job as well. Zach Rosscup gave up the only other hit in the game by a Mariner pitcher in the 9th inning. He struck out three batters as well. Fine job.

Braden Bishop starting in centerfield had his first major league hit then drove in his first two runs later with another hit. With CC Sabathia on the mound Monday I am sure he will be in the starting lineup once again. 

The Mariners are now 19-17; they are a game and a half behind the Houston Astros. The Texas Rangers are in third place 16-16 a game behind the Mariners. The Angels and the A's are fourth and fifth place. 

Try to Win Final Game In Cleveland

When the Mariners were on there long winning streak it was hard to know what to write next without repeating what I had already said. Now that they have lost six in a row losing by one-run two times in a row to the Cleveland Indians. 

The Mariners did get out of the slump hitting wise in a way. They hit four home runs on Saturday, however, they were all solo shots or they may have won big otherwise.

The final score was 5-4. The game went back and forth a little bit. It looked like the Mariners may end the five-game losing streak but Carlos Santana played a different tune and hit a two-run homer off of reliever Connor Sadzeck.  This was after Roenis Elias was relieved after giving up a hit. Two games in a row the bullpen didn't do their job.

The Mariners acquired right-handed reliever Austin Adams from the Washington Nationals. He is reporting to triple-A Tacoma to begin with. He only has nine games in three years pitching in the major leagues. He seems to be another of the relievers Dipoto has picked up recently like Connor Sadzeck with possible upside. I wish he would find a way to pick up someone with major league experience. 

I know the Mariners are in a re-imaging where they don't expect to compete though they have so far I certainly like to get some competent relievers though. I don't want to spend the whole season losing games by one run. 

Erik Swanson will go for the Mariners Sunday to see if he can end this six-game losing streak for the Mariners. It would be good to see him record his first career win. I see him being a good part of the Mariners rotation or in the bullpen if it is better for him and the Mariners.

I came up with a thought yesterday that the Mariners should not only have five starting pitchers but they should have five of the eight relievers backing up the starters on specific days. For example, they would have someone going in pitching two or three innings after Erik Swanson comes out of the game today. The pitcher would no this is the day he is going to pitch for sure.  The three remaining relievers would pitch twice during the five games going one inning or two max. Everyone would be on the same schedule. 

Dylan Moore will be playing third base again today in place of Ryon Healy. It looks like Healy will be available in New York tomorrow. He took fielding practice today. 

Braden Bishop is going to start in center field after not starting the first two games in Cleveland.  The Mariners are giving Domingo Santana the day-off so Jay Bruce will be starting in left while Mitch Haniger will be back in right field. Speaking of Haniger he got out of his mini-slump Saturday getting two hits. One of the hits a double hadn't bounced back to the left fielder Haniger might have had an inside the park home run.  Something to think about can make a difference in the game when losing by a run. 

Felix Hernandez will be taking the ball on Monday in New York after having a couple outstanding games his last two times out. Unfortunately, the Mariners didn't win either game. He will be facing veteran lefty CC Sabathia. Should be another good matchup. We just hope the bullpen does their job this time.

We hope Marco Gonzales will be able to rebound on Tuesday for the Mariners after having his worst outing against the Cubs. Go M's. 

Losses Up To Five In A Row

Yusei Kikuchi pitched a fantastic game giving up one run on three hits. The Mariners took the lead in the top of the fourth inning when Jay Bruce hit a home run for the only run of the game for the Mariners. The Cleveland came back to even the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth with a couple hits. It was the only scare on Kikuchi game. He struck out ten batters in seven innings. Kikuchi was strong after only pitching one inning which was planned in his previous outing.

Shane Bieber the starter for the Cleveland Indians pitched a good game as well but was not as great as Kikuchi. The Mariners were able to get six hits off Bieber in seven and two-thirds innings. three different times the Mariners had runners in scoring position where they could have scored at least one run or more. 

The problem the Mariners are having at the plate in these five games is scoring runs without hitting a home run. Actually the problem has gone back further than that. In almost every eighteen games the Mariners have won they have hit the long ball. In now the sixteen losses most of them they haven't. 

Not only haven't they hit too many home runs in this stretch Mitch Haniger had only one hit. In fact, in his last seven games, he has only two hits batting .080. Dee Gordon started the game back in the lead-off spot. He had two hits in the game. One of the hits was a single up the middle that moved shortstop Tim Beckham from second to third. It was hit too hard for Beckham to score. Gordon was able to steal second base but Haniger who was batting second couldn't drive him in. 

The Mariners need to find a way to score runs without depending on the home run or hit more home runs that is for sure. After getting off to the historic proportions hitting a home run in 20 games the Mariners haven't done much in that regard since. 

The Mariners put us in a place getting off to a tremendous start I am sure we expected this to continue. Of course, Jerry Dipoto told us this was a year of re-imagining or re-tooling so we shouldn't have expected a team that would be up at the top of the standings all year long. 

The Mariners have been beating teams with losing records while losing to those with winning records. It does make sense to a degree but they need to be able to beat the good teams as well at least some of the time anyway.

This road trip will say a lot with the team playing the Indians, the Red Sox, and the Yankees. I was hoping for a split of games going 5-5 but I guess 4-6 wouldn't be so bad either. Anything worse would not be a good sign. 

Right now this team is looking like the one that played the second half of last season instead of the one in the first half. Servais will need to find a way to get the players all together again. Unlike the team in the second half of last year, I am sure they haven't given up yet. The pressure should not be on them since no one expected them to be this good anyway.  I guess we could say they are showing their true colors. I hope not though.

Ryon Healy left the game early with a groin strain. Not sure yet whether he has to go on the injured list or not. The Tacoma Rainiers took Shed Long out of their game shortly after Healy's injury. So it looks like if Healy isn't available for several days Long will take his spot on the roster. Not sure whether Dylan Moore will see most of the action at third base or Long. Moore will likely be in the game Saturday afternoon even if Healy doesn't go on the IL. 

All interesting since Kyle Seager is about ready to go on a rehab assignment. He wouldn't be eligible to come off the injured list for three weeks at the earliest though. This means time for Moore, Long and or Healy for three more weeks.  

Mike Leake pitches for the Mariners Saturday. We need to see a better performance out of Leake than his last outing along with scoring runs to end this losing streak. Go M's.