Takeaway
The streak is over. And the Mariners might – might – have a new closer. Those revelations came Saturday night during Seattle’s 2-1 win over Tampa Bay, which snapped a seven-game losing streak. Carson Smith, not Fernando Rodney, earned the save. Boy, did he make it look easy.
Essential moment
CF Austin Jackson has been a different hitter since coming off the DL two weeks ago, so we shouldn’t be too surprised that he’s the one who brought the big bat to the most important moment. In the seventh inning, Jackson showed rare power and provided the offense that starter Felix Hernandez needed with a 380-foot solo blast to left field to break a 1-1 tie.
Pitchers
Hernandez picked up right where he left off the last time out – that is, with control problems. Thankfully for the stunned King’s Court, those only lasted three batters before he settled down and pitch seven strong innings. Hernandez wasn’t perfect (unlike his August 2012 start against the Rays), and the only run he allowed came on a wild pitch, but he was much better in his previous start. The big story came in the ninth inning, when Smith came on to retire the side on 10 pitches to earn his first career save. A new closer for the Mariners? Stay tuned.
Hitters
SS Willie Bloomquist, of all people, ended the Mariners’ streak of 16 innings of scoreless baseball – and a team-wide, 0-for-16 team slump with runners in scoring position — with a fourth-inning RBI single. It wasn’t the opening of a fire hydrant on a warm everning, but it was something. 1B Logan Morrison (3 for 4) continues to do his share, while Jackson has been a man on fire (2 for 4 Saturday and 5 for 10 in the series).
Words
Manager Lloyd McClendon on replacing Rodney with Smith: “It’s an opportunity to clean Fernando up and get some things fixed from a mechanics standpoint. We’ll see how it goes.”
Noteworthy
Tampa Bay 3B Evan Longoria was not in the lineup Saturday because he’s nursing a sore wrist . . . Former Mariner Nick Franklin played for the first time this series. He was the starting first baseman and went 0 for 3. Franklin, who was traded to Tampa Bay in the three-team deal that sent LHP David Price to Detroit and CF Austin Jackson to the Mariners, is hitting .083 . . . Morrison matched a career best of a 13-game hitting streak with his second-inning single.
Next
Watching Erasmo Ramirez silence the Mariners bats Thursday night was tough for any Seattle fan, but it was a little easier to take when considering how LHP Mike Montgomery fared two days earlier. Montgomery (0-0, 1.50 ERA) was the player acquired for Ramirez, and now he’ll get a chance to face the team that traded him in Sunday’s series finale. Ace Chris Archer (6-4, 2.01 ERA) is scheduled to start for Tampa Bay.
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So the M’s finally break the losing skid with an impressive 2-1 victory. 3 runs scored in three games….. things are looking better now with their 1 game winning streak! It will come to a screaching halt Sunday afternoon after Archer strikes out 15 pathetic M’s & easily tosses 8 shutout innings. Once Robbie Mr Single Cano “heats up” the M’s will break out of their nearly 60 game “funk”. Don’t make me laugh. Season is done in June, as usual.
The Rays are a good team. They were going to come into this series with a chip on their shoulders and they played like it. To the M’s credit they aren’t bickering, aren’t pointing fingers. They’ve been accountable and the coaches are mentoring. They haven’t been blown out, they compete until the final out. The season isn’t over yet, but they need to figure things out soon.