The Mariners (18-24) exploded for 14 hits while Jason Vargas scattered three runs in seven innings as manager Eric Wedge’s club took a step towards salvaging their road trip with a 10-3 win on a soggy Saturday afternoon against the hapless Colorado Rockies (15-24) at Coors Field.
While Wedge was happy with the way Vargas kept Colorado hitters off-balance, he couldn’t help but come away impressed with the way his starting pitcher swung the bat. A career .250 hitter entering the game, Vargas slapped an RBI single into left field in the fourth inning to give the Mariners a 5-0 advantage.
“Jason set the tone early and pitched a good ballgame,” Wedge said. “He did a good job at home plate, too. He got a big hit for us, drew a big walk for us (and) was on the bases… He just threw a great ballgame.”
In the sixth, his walk to load the bases against Christian Friedrich chased Colorado’s lefty while setting the table for Dustin Ackley to put the game out of reach. Leading 5-0, Ackley doubled down the left-field line to score two more.
After his versatile performance, Vargas sounded casual when asked about his big day at the plate. The southpaw saw 24 pitches in his four at-bats. He was 1-for-3 with an RBI.
“I was able to come up with an RBI so that always makes your day better,” he said.
Kyle Seager and Jesus Montero powered Seattle with a combined six hits.
Seager kicked off the scoring in the second after a leadoff Montero walk when he blasted a Friedrich fastball into the Colorado bullpen to give the Mariners a 2-0 lead. Seager three hits (and three RBIs) raised his team-leading average to .292.
The third baseman attributed his early season success to hitting in the middle of the Seattle order — a position that on occasion gives him the opportunity to drive in runs. Seager leads the Mariners with 26 RBIs.
“I kind of enjoy when there are guys in scoring position,” he said in a post-game interview with ROOT Sports. “The top of the order obviously did a good job today getting on base. They really swung the bats pretty well.”
Meanwhile, Montero bounced back after being benched following a recent slump that saw his average drop nearly 40 points. His RBI single in the third inning broke an 0-for-10 drought and gave the Mariners a 3-0 lead.
A second consecutive victory earned them their first road series win since sweeping the Detroit Tigers in late April. Mariners to 3-6 on their 10-game trip, which concludes Sunday at 12:10 p.m as Blake Beavan (1-4, 4.58 ERA) squares off with Jeremy Guthrie (2-1, 4.85 ERA).