Two Wins In a Row

It has been over a month since the Seattle Mariners have won two games in a row. It was in a two-game series when the Mariners beat the A’s in Oakland. Thursday night the Mariners beat the Baltimore Orioles in the first game of the series after beating the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday.

The opening game of the series the win happened in somewhat the same fashion the last game against the Royals. The offense came alive along with good pitching. The difference though the Mariners had Tayler Scott start the game as the opener then Wade LeBlanc took over with two outs in the bottom of the first inning with the bases loaded. Unfortunately, he gave up a hit two score two runs. LeBlanc settled down to go six and one-third innings without giving up any runs on four hits.

We could blame Scott for the two runs in the first inning but with a break or two, the Orioles may have not scored a run at all. Scott didn’t give up a hit but did walk three batters. He was having trouble with his slider getting over the plate. I would not give up on Scott in being the opener though. All he needs to do is throw strikes.

Omar Narvaez hit a home run in the bottom of the second making the lead 2-1 by the Orioles. The Mariners scored three runs in the sixth inning including a solo home run by Domingo Santana his third in two games. They added another run in the seventh inning.

Austin Adams came in for LeBlanc in the eighth inning where he struck out the side. Roenis Elias took care of the three batters he faced in the ninth inning.

This game had another similarity where every hitter who started had a least one hit in the game except Dee Gordon. So he hasn’t had a hit in his last two games. I wonder if he will be in the lineup tonight or he will be rested. We will see, won’t we? Final score Seattle 5 Baltimore 2.

In other news, it looks like Mitch Haniger will likely be out until after the all-star break. He is working out lightly but hasn’t taken batting practice as of yet. He will probably go on a rehab assignment as well. Jake Fraley who came in the trade along with Mallex Smith from Tampa Bay was promoted from double-A to triple-A Tacoma. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Mariners need an outfielder before Haniger or Braden Bishop’s he will be the one called upon. We will see him in September if not before. He looks like he could stick next year for the Mariners or call up during the season depending on how much time the Mariners feel he should have in triple-A.

In other local sports in the NBA draft Washington Huskie’s Matisse Thybulle was picked in the first round as the 20^th overall by the Boston Celtics; however, they traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers. Jaylen Nowell was taken in the second round by Minnesota.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs had two players taken in the first round. Power forward Rui Hachimura out of Japan was picked number nine by the Washington Wizards while Brandon Clarke was taken right after Thybulle by Oklahoma. Bol Bol the son of former NBA center Manute Bol who was out most of the season at Oregon as a freshman was drafted right after Nowell going to Miami. Another local product Kevin Porter Jr who played for USC was taken as the last pick in the first round by the Milwaukee Bucks.  The Pac-12 had six players drafted in total with Thybulle being the first one. Best wishes for Thybulle and Nowell along with the other four Pac-12 players along with the Gonzaga guys.

Mariners Win Final Game of Series Over Royals

Wednesday the Seattle Mariner had their final game of the series and the season against the Kansas City Royals. After frustration in the first two games, the Mariners pitching and hitting surface.

Marco Gonzales had his third good start in a row winning all three games. This was after losing five games in May and his first start in June. In all three games, he has only given up two runs in each game. I would have to say that is a good sign for Marco.

In this game, Gonzales went six and two-thirds innings scattering six hits, one walk and striking out five. Another good sign he and the relievers didn’t give a home run in the game.

Speaking of home runs the Mariners started off well with Domingo Santana hit a three-run homer in the first inning. It was the first of two home runs for him in the game. Daniel Vogelbach followed him with a home run as well. So after the first inning, the Mariners were leading 4-0. A very good sign; they often win when scoring in the first inning.

The Mariners had three more runs in the fourth inning and one more in the sixth inning. The Royals had their runs in the third and seventh inning.

The Mariners’ bullpen did a fine job over the final two and one-third innings. The three relievers gave up one single and a walk. I feel nervous when the relievers come into the game even with a large lead.

Mallex Smith who has been hitting well lately led off the game with a double. JP Crawford walked before Santana’s home run. Santana was the only Mariner hitter with more than one hit. He had three hits including the two home runs. He drove in five of the Mariners eight runs.

The Mariners had ten hits in the game. Everyone in the starting lineup had a hit except for Dee Gordon; got to give him a break since he has done well as of late.

We just hope this offensive outpour in this game will go into the series against the Baltimore Orioles. The series starts Thursday so it is a four-game series. It would be nice if the Mariners could win at least three if not sweep it. The Orioles is one of the worst teams in the majors so the possibility is here.

Wade LeBlanc is scheduled to start for the Mariners on Thursday night; however, the Mariners come go with an opener to start the game and bring LeBlanc in the second inning. Mike Leake is scheduled for Friday. All the starters except Gonzales will pitch in this series.

On the injury front, Felix Hernandez MRI showed no additional injury to his shoulder. He will throw several bullpen sessions then go on a rehab assignment with Tacoma when he is ready. Sam Tuivailala who has been out all season and was shut down on previous rehab assignment is expected to pitch Friday at Everett. Hunter Strickland who was expected to come off the injured list initially on Wednesday has to wait now. He is expected to throw light on Friday. Not sure when he will return right now.

I am sure everyone is looking to see who and when the next trade by the Mariners will be. With Jerry Dipoto it isn’t a sure thing but something could happen soon or wait until July before the trading deadline. How many will be traded is a good question too. The most likely player is pitcher Mike Leake. Also, Tim Beckham and Dee Gordon could go as well. Not sure on either one of them. Beckham doesn’t have a large salary and might not get much in return. Gordon does have a large salary but the Mariners may want to keep him because of his energy levels. We will have to see. Go M’s.

Mariners Draw Blanks

The Seattle Mariners lost again Tuesday night to Kansas City Royals. This time the Royals won 9-0. They are one of the worst hitting teams in the major leagues and they are making mincemeat of the Mariners pitching.

It is so hard to believe the Mariners can’t win at home. There are only three teams with worse home records than the Mariners. On top of that, the Royals have the worst record on the road. We do hope the Mariners can beat the Royals Wednesday then beat the Orioles the next four games. Oh yes, the Orioles have the second worst record on the road.

Yusei Kikuchi continues to having trouble starting as of late. Not sure if he needs another break or the Mariners begin with an opener. Kikuchi gave up two runs in the first inning so the opener can’t do much worse. He ended up giving up six of the nine runs over five innings which included nine hits. Two of the hits were home runs which included a three-run homer in the fourth inning. The bullpen didn’t do much better either. Of course, they are going to be the Mariners Achilles Heel all season.

On the other hand, the Mariners offense who have actually been good over recent times let the Royal pitchers especially the starter look like Cy Young. Homer Bailey went 7 and 2/3 innings giving up five of the six hits the Mariners had. This is to a guy with an ERA of 4.84. The Mariners were only able to get one more hit over 1 and 2/3 innings. The Royals two relievers look like they fit in the Mariners’ bullpen where the ERA is over five for both of them.

Tom Murphy who was dhing and Omar Narvaez at catcher had the only extra base hits. They have been two of the Mariners hottest batters.

Marco Gonzales will be going in the final game against the Royals Wednesday afternoon. We hope that he has gotten over his struggles since he has done well in his last couple starts. We will really shake our heads if the Royals offense can get to him. Go M’s.  

Mariners Pitching Fails Against Royals

The first game of the series against Kansas City Royals back at T-Mobile Park on Monday night looked like for a while a victory in the Mariners' hand but it didn't turn out to be. The final score was 6-4. 

The Royals began the game scoring two runs in the first inning off of “opener” Tayler Scott. So far the Mariners don’t look to have much success with the opener though I think it is a good idea. In my opinion, they need to stick with one pitcher as the opener.

Tayler Scott lasted only two-thirds of an inning before Tommy Milone came in. Scott had given up two runs but I wouldn’t say it wasn’t really his fault because with two outs the Royals hitter Cheslor Cuthbert hit a blooper into shallow right field between second baseman Dee Gordon and right fielder Domingo Santana. It has been happening a lot lately where the opposing team gets bloopers early on in games. Either Santana needs to play in further with two outs or more communication between Gordon and Santana.

The Mariners responded with a run in the third inning and three more in the fourth on a home run by catcher Tom Murphy. It was his sixth home run in his last eight games starting. He has eight home runs on the season. He has been a pleasant surprise as the number two catcher. He is hitting .300 on the season.

Tommy Milone did a fine job going six and one-third innings giving up three hits, one run, no walks and striking out six. He should have had the victory but relievers Anthony Bass who recorded the loss and Gerson Batista couldn’t stop the Royals. Bass gave up a two-run homer in the eighth while Batista gave up a home run in the ninth.

What we do know right now a lot of the Mariners losses going forward will be like this game having a bullpen that is mediocre at best. Manager Scott Servais can only throw pitchers out there but any one’s guess what may happen and most of the time not good.

Now we have to see if the Mariners can bounce back and win the final two games of the series. Yusei Kikuchi goes Tuesday night followed by Marco Gonzales on Wednesday. Both of them will need to go a good six innings for the Mariners to win. The Royals have had trouble scoring runs as of late so we hope this is a good sign they had their offense only go in game one.

How the Mariners are measured has to do with how they play against the Royals and the Orioles coming up since they are not very good teams either. We just hope the Mariners are at least a little better than both those teams. Go M’s.

Mariners When Road Trip

The Seattle Mariners won 6-3 Sunday to take the series against the Oakland A’s 2-1, while at the same time going 5-4 on the nine-game road trip.

While the Mariners were on the road they traded Edwin Encarnacion to the New York Yankees for a prospect and giving the Yankees in cash about half of Encarnacion salary. The Mariners activated JP Crawford off the injured list when arriving in Oakland. The Mariners sent Shed Long back to Tacoma. Also, reliever Brandon Brennan went on the disabled list as well after having another poor outing with shoulder problems. Depending on how he is doing should be back in a week. Matt Festa was recalled in his place.

Mike Leake had another outstanding game going seven innings giving up three runs with two being earned. He is another being rumored to be traded as well as Dee Gordon who played well on Sunday after missing Saturday because of his wrist.

Mallex Smith continues to hit well hitting a two-run homer in the second inning in the win over Oakland Sunday.

Austin Nola made his major debut on Sunday being called up from Tacoma with the trade of Edwin Encarnacion. The news came out to that Ryon Healy will miss another three to four weeks so he won’t be traded any time soon. Nola has versatility where he can catch and play the outfield well as first base.

It will be interesting to see who the Mariners will trade next with the departure of Encarnacion. I would put my guess on Tim Beckham. He doesn’t have a large salary so moving him won’t cost as much for the Mariners. It might mean they may not get a very prospect either.

I will keep you up to date not only the games but what is happening off the field too. Go M’s.

Another Blowup Game

Saturday night's game in Oakland became another blowup game. If you didn't watch it or you left early that was it. The best play of the night for the Mariners was when JP Crawford made a great dive flipped to Dylan Moore onto first base.

The Mariners defense wasn't stellar as Mallex Smith had an error along with Kyle Seager and Crawford who had an error on fielding and throwing despite the great dive earlier.

Gerson Bautista started the game for the second time as the opener. Again it was a disaster where he lasted two-thirds of an inning giving up three runs on two hits and three walks. His fastball was in the upper 90s but he couldn't get his pitches over the plate. The two hits were solid ones by the Athletics.

This game Wade LeBlanc who entered in the first inning didn't have his A game. He lasted only two and two-thirds innings giving up six runs. He gave up a solo home run in the second inning and five more runs in the fourth inning primarily on doubles.

Reliever Tayler Scott relieved LeBlanc going two innings. The A's scored two runs in the sixth inning with Scott on the mound but both of them were not earned runs.

Jesse Biddle went an inning and two-thirds innings giving up just one hit though he did strikeout a better. Anthony Bass pitched the eighth inning for the Mariners giving up no hits and walking one batter.  We will see if the Mariners can rebound and win Sunday afternoon before returning home to play the Kansas City Royals on Monday. 

Mike Leake is scheduled to start. This could be one of the last starts he makes in a Mariner uniform as the Mariners are looking to unload most of the veteran players.

During the game, news came out that Edwin Encarnacion was traded to the New York Yankees for a prospect. The Mariners will pay about half of Encarnacion remaining salary. I wish the Mariners had picked up a second prospect in the deal too. We wish you the best Edwin in New York. You did the Mariners proud the time you were here. 

I figure Jerry Dipoto must believe in the prospects he had already picked up prior to the Bruce and Encarnacion trades. The prospects will have to perform well in the years ahead along with the players that will be on the roster next year or the next several years will be misery with many losses. This happens where they don't do well for several years Dipoto and Servais each will be gone at the end of their contacts. That is a reality all. 

I do hope the Mariners do well with as many prospects as they can. They will have the cash to spend to fill areas that the prospects don't. This year's draft helped with the future pitching we hope. The cash will probably fill in the top of the rotation and the bullpen. Go M's. 

Mariners Win Opening Game In Oakland

The Seattle Mariners were able to go into Oakland and beat the A's 9-2. The game was close early with the A's scoring a run in the 2nd inning then the Mariners scored a run in the top of the third inning. The A's took the only other lead they had in the bottom of the third making it 2-1. 

The Mariners scored three runs in the fourth inning breaking open the game. JP Crawford who was activated off the injured list hit a double that helped score the runs. He had another double in the game as well.

In the seventh inning, Omar Narvaez hit a two-run homer his 10th of the season; it is now a career high for him. Mallex Smith hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning. The Mariners ended the scoring with another run in the ninth inning.

Marco Gonzales pitched another good game after having a poor May. He went seven innings giving up the two runs, however, only one run was earned. Austin Adams pitched the eighth inning walking a batter along with striking out one too. Matt Festa who was recalled because Brandon Brennan went on the injured list pitched the ninth inning with the same results as Adams. The Mariners will have the bullpen ready to go Saturday with only Adams and Festa pitching.

Felix Hernandez made a rehab assignment Friday for Tacoma. He went only two and third innings. He had to leave the game because of fatigue. Hopefully, he will be able to make another rehab assignment soon.

With the activation of Crawford, the Mariners sent Shed Long back down to Tacoma to play every day. With only three outfielders in Seattle, I am sure they will have Long playing some in the outfield.

Mac Williamson who has struggled at the plate since arriving had two hits on Friday night. Hopefully, this means he will start hitting on a regular basis.

Right now the two utility players in Tim Beckham and Dylan Moore may spend some time in the outfield. Beckham was dh on Friday but didn't get a hit. Moore came in for defensive purposes late in the game at first base. Whenever Williamson, Mallex Smith, and Domingo Santana each need a day off we will see Beckham or Moore in the outfield. Also, Moore showed he is capable of playing shortstop to if Crawford needs a day off. 

Saturday Gerson Batista will make another start as the opener. Not sure right now who will come in the game after he pitches an inning or two, however, it could be Wade LeBlanc who has done well since he has come into the game in the second inning. Mike Leake is scheduled to start on Sunday. Go M's.