Considering there was a full moon on Friday the 13th, it was not hard to imagine something unusual would happen during the Mariners’ game against the Rangers. Then again, mustering just two hits and squandering another brilliant outing from Felix Hernandez in a 1-0 loss was a familiar outcome in the long line of 162.For the second consecutive outing, Hernandez dominated the opponent and watched as his offense couldn’t muster a single run in support. Seattle (34-33) Sunday managed five hits for Hernandez against the Rays before he exited in a 0-0 game through seven innings. This time, there was no ninth-inning explosion to save face.
“Felix was outstanding,” manager Lloyd McClendon said. “It was just a tremendous outing. It’s a tough loss. Anytime you pitch that good, give up four hits and one run, you should win.”
Instead, with one out and runners on first and third in the ninth inning, closer Fernando Rodney induced a ground ball off the bat of Adrian Beltre. But an errant throw from Robinson Cano on the back half of the attempted double play let Elvis Andrus score the winning run. Beltre’s ball wasn’t hit sharply, and Shin-Soo Choo came in hard on Cano at second, giving him little room to step into a throw.
“The guy was on him pretty good. I thought (Cano) hung in there pretty good,” said McClendon. “It was a tough turn all the way around with Brad going into the hole. Everything just developed very slowly for us on that one.”
Hernandez (8-2, 2.29 ERA) pitched 8.1 innings, allowing six baserunners — four singles and two walks — and the lone run on the failed double-play conversion to go with six strikeouts. In sharp contrast to his 15-strikeout performance against the Rays, Hernandez dominated the Rangers — a team that has been successful against him over the years — by getting ground balls. He received 13 Friday.
“The difference in the ninth inning was the base hit by Andrus and then he stole the two bases,” Hernandez said.
Asked whether there were other emotions attached to the loss, Hernandez didn’t hesitate.
“No, no, not at all,” he said. “We lost the game. That’s the only emotion.”
During one stretch, Hernandez retired 15 consecutive batters before Choo singled in the seventh. The ninth inning run, after Hernandez exited the game, erased an 18-inning scoreless streak that saw him yield eight hits while striking out 23.
On the other end, the Mariners were shut down by Nick Tepesch, a pitcher they faced previously and scored three runs on five hits in 6.1 innings. He held Seattle to two hits while breezing through six innings on 57 pitches. Both hits came from Mike Zunino, a single and a double.
The Mariners threatened in the sixth and seventh innings, getting a runner as far as second base each time, but went a combined 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Tepesch was lifted by manager Ron Washington after he walked two of three hitters to start the seventh. Reliever Jason Frasor came on to strike out Endy Chavez and Dustin Ackley.
“We’re going through a little bit of a funk right now,” McClendon said. “I’ve seen this over the years and it never changes. When you don’t hit, you don’t look good. The at-bats are quick, or you’re taking too many strikes, you’re not aggressive enough — I’ve seen it all.”
Seattle lost four in a row after winning eight of nine.
“Anytime you come home, you lose four in a row, particularly off of the road trip that we had, you’re disappointed,” said McClendon. “It’s a grind. A major-league season is tough. A 162-game schedule, you’re going to have your ups and downs and you have to be able to manage them.”
Notes
Friday brought McClendon’s 61st different lineup in 67 games. It saw Seager batting second for the first time. Logan Morrison moved up to fourth while Endy Chavez sat . . . For Hernandez, it was the 58th outing of his career allowing one run or fewer in eight innings. He has received a no-decision 12 times in such outings and lost twice . . . The Mariners were shut out for the eighth time.
6 Comments
Lloyd, I’ve grown to like your style however, have you any idea as to how many times this baseball community has heard, “were going through a little funk right now”… So, the same applys to success? “We’re doing pretty well at the plate right now, every club goes through it, we’ll get back to no run support before you know it”… Every pitcher we face appears to be Cy Young material. For every Mariner that gets ‘hot’ (relitive), two go cold. I know Robby understands the situation but Z just left him hanging with no protection. There so damn desperate that Montero is back, Franklin can’t be far behind. It’s more interesting than last year but remains in the torture collumn, We’ve just moved from waterboarding to electric shock…
My 2 cents. 61 different line-ups out of 67 games reinforces the idea that the M’s are winning with smoke and mirrors. I doubt this is sustainable. The present team is several position players from being a season long contender. I love Felix and his competitive fire however I would stay to a 100 pitch limit. The 9th inning was brutal to watch. Felix took one for the team.
The problem is with GMZ and the players he has put in place. “Hope” is not a philosophy one uses in running a ball club but that has been all we have seen out of him lately. Hoping injured players who have not played more than a few games in the last couple years, Hoping that young players will all realize their potential simultaneously and playing the “if this happens then that can happen and we should be ok” will never work. Great organizations don’t just target players who get it done at the highest level, they get players who perform at exceptional levels. The Mariners…they pin their hopes on players like Jason Bay, Corey Hart and Logan Morrison among others. Signing Cano was the only quality move Uncle Fester has made in his time here. Compare him to what the Astros GM has done in less time and his failure is bare for everyone to see. Down in Houston they have totally rebuild their organization from the ground up and praised as the most promising young team in baseball while our Mariners are still treading water with a questionable future. Fire Fester Now!
Mariners provide nothing for The King
whaddya mean? they brought jesus up, but forgot to let him hit for felix. jesus can’t be worse than romero/chavez no matter who’s pitching.
i heard that donald sterling sued ballmer b/c he reneged on promise to pay for mental health counseling for donnie. damn, our billionaire overlords are a laff riot.
I’d be interested to know what the Mariners team batting average and other offensive averages are when Felix pitches. Could you imagine what his career record would be if he was on a team that didn’t lay down and die on him every time out? Playing for Seattle is costing him a slot in Cooperstown. You can have a mediocre record and get in the Hall if you pitch in New York or Boston, but not here.
I know other Mariners pitchers don’t get much support, but this is sort of like how it was in 2001 when Jamie Moyer would pitch and turn in a standout performance only to lose or get a no decision because he was only getting 1 or 2 runs at best behind him (then Paul Abbott would come out a day or two later with a mediocre-at-best performance but get the W because the offense always gave HIM 4 or 5 runs to work with).