The Mariners have lost many ways this season. Friday they added a new twist, falling to the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 in 10 innings on a walk-off passed ball, losing their fifth in a row in an unusually feckless fashion to spoil an outstanding outing by Hisashi Iwakuma.
The Mariners (65-82) are 6-14 in their last 20 and 6-13 in extra innings. This is the third Seattle losing streak of at least three games since Aug. 23, and keeps the Mariners steaming to 90 or more losses. Not only was it the 12th walk-off defeat of the season, but for the superstitious, the Mariners are 1-8 in their last nine Friday the 13th games.
The Mariners took a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning on Mike Zunino’s third homer of the season, a 435-foot shot. They seemed in a position to win behind Iwakuma until the eighth, when the Cardinals tied it, victimizing Charlie Furbush. The Mariners squandered the frame with an error and a missed double play.
Second baseman Nick Franklin misplayed a pop up, allowing Brock Peterson to reach. Pete Kozma, running for Peterson, stole third. Jay hit a ground ball to second that looked like a double play in the making, but shortstop Brad Miller’s throw got past Kendrys Morales at first, allowing Kozma to score the tying run.
In the bottom of the 10th, Seattle reliever Chance Ruffin struck out David Freese and Kolten Wong, but Kozma singled to center. Seattle manager Eric Wedge yanked Ruffin in favor of Oliver Perez, who was not up to task, walking Matt Carpenter and John Jay. Perez then threw a fastball inside to Matt Holliday that Zunino failed to handle, the ball skipping past him. Kozma slid across the plate with the winning run.
Iwakuma threw one of his more effective games of the season, scattering three hits over 7.0 inning with one strikeout and two walks. He threw 62 of his 94 pitches for strikes.
ARMS: Charlie Furbush’s blown save was his fourth of the season and Chance Ruffin’s loss his second.Iwakuma lowered his ERA from 3.02 to 2.87.
BATS: The Mariners had 10 hits, including multi-hit games by Kyle Seager, Morales and Zunino, but stranded seven and went 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
NOTES: Felix Hernndez is still ailing from a minor oblique strain in his left side. He threw on the side Friday and is scheduled to toss a bullpen session in Detroit Monday. Hernandez could start Wednesday against the Tigers if all goes well during the bullpen session. If it does not go well, the Mariners will consider shutting down Hernandez for the rest of the season.
NEXT: The seris continues Saturday at 4:15 p.m., PT. LHP James Paxton (1-0, 1.50) will pitch for Seattle opposite RHP Michael Wacha (3-0, 2.72). Following the series, the Mariners will play four at AL Central leader Detroit and then three at the L.A. Angels in the final road trip of the season.
9 Comments
well, they lost recently on an extra innings balk… so passed ball isn’t that much of a shocker. Besides, they didn’t really lose on a passed ball, that was just the culmination of every other mistake the team made leading up to it (Nick Franklin being the #MistakePOG), and of course Oliver Perez being unable to find the strike zone. The passed ball just delayed what would have been a walk off walk. There’s better ways to lose a competitive ballgame, but it will lead to a higher draft pick and a more likely decision to make changes in the off season, hopefully from Chuck and Howard on down
I’m looking forward to reading about the new way to lose, as yet undiscovered. My guess: they put Charlie Brown on the mound and Linus in center field.
I’m depressed you had to watch it. I wonder if anyone else is watching anymore.
Boy, am I feeling lucky. I didn’t tune in til the bottom of the 9th, and that was by accident. But it did allow me to come to one definitive conclusion: Time to fire Wedge. Bringing in Perez was an iffy decision to begin with. Leaving him in after two straight walks was unforgivable insanity. You could smell this one coming from a thousand miles away, just like the rest of this overtly stanky season.
Yeah, I know. Firing Wedge without firing Zduriencik and burning Lincoln and Armstrong at the stake is like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Time for the remaining 9,000 Mariner faithful to storm the teal and ivory tower. Meanwhile, in other news: “With attendance of 40,506, the Cardinals topped 3 million for the season for the 10th straight season.”
Burning at the stake. After tar and feathering? Sounds like the only workable plan. Let’s encourage fellow fans to stay away from the park in droves, at least. If opertating losses can be accomplished with our help by not giving them any of our money, just maybe the board will lose their Rip Van Winkle world view and DO something. Like sell their stake in it.
Uh…the Mariners played last night? I was too busy attending the Sounders game with 55,000 other rabid fans!
is everybody ready for a new five year rebuilding plan. this team has not been, nor will be relevant from the start of this franchise to eternity. the only years they have ever had any success (’95 &’01), they were promptly bounced from the playoffs as pretenders.
the only way the M’s will ever able to sell out safeco field will be if they show the seahawk/sounder games on their new big jumbotron.
really. try to have a conversation about the M’s and not use the words “potential” and “prospect”. and any free agent that’s three years past productivity will demand a kings ransom to come here, prove that he’s past his prime, go on the DL, and stay on the payroll for two more years rehabilitating before being released.
Bounced because Lincoln would not listen to Lou when told what was needed to go further. Remember, Lou said he needed another bat. Indignant Lincoln called him insubordinate. Lou left. Then Gillick. But Lincoln, on the hot seat with Ed McMahon Armstrong, said he was confident that he had learned well on the job and had a competent baseball mind beside him to make this franchise a winner.
And he’s got some swamp land in Florida fo sale along with a bridge in London…
sad, but so true.