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Mariners Game Recap: Robby Cano Goes Yard, but M’s Fall to Tribe

By Brian Helberg

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The Cleveland Indians (23-26) edged the Seattle Mariners (24-25) 4-3 on Saturday night at Safeco Field. It was tight game throughout, but the Tribe managed to come out on top. Shaun Marcum (2-0, 5.49 ERA) picked up the victory for Cleveland, and Roenis Elias (2-2, 3.07 ERA) took the loss for the M’s. Cody Allen induced a game ending double play to earn his 11th save of the season.

The Mariners’ loss tonight proved costly, as the Texas Rangers were able to pass the M’s in the American League West standings. Seattle currently sits in 4th place in the AL West, 6.5 games back of the division leading Houston Astros.

Roenis Elias put forth his worst effort of the season tonight. Elias was very effective during his first 6 starts of 2015, but he allowed 4 runs on 5 hits across 5.1 innings Saturday night. The 26-year-old southpaw struggled at times with his command in 2014, and just 51 of his 90 pitches found the zone tonight. Elias stuck out 3 Indians, but issued a season high 4 free passes. A 2-run home run was a huge blow for Elias and the Mariners. With James Paxton and Hisashi Iwakuma laid up, the M’s will be leaning heavily on the Guantanamo native in the coming weeks. Hopefully, Elias is able to produce better results his next time out.

The Mariners’ bullpen picked up their starter on Saturday night. The pen combined to pitch 3.2 shutout innings to keep Seattle in the ballgame. Charlie Furbush and Mark Lowe both worked perfect frames, and Joe Beimel kept the Tribe off the scoreboard in his lone inning of work. The Seattle bullpen has not been able to duplicate their superb performance from 2014 this season, but they are beginning to pitch like the dominant unit we all hoped they would be.

Shaun Marcum did a nice job tonight for Cleveland en route to earning the win. The oft-injured 33-year-old allowed 2 runs on 5 hits across 5.1 innings of work. The right-hander was far from overpowering, but managed to register 5 punch outs. Marcum was uncharacteristically wild this evening, and ended up walking 3 Mariners. The Indians’ bullpen was shaky, but ultimately got the job done. Cody Allen retired 4 M’s to record his 11th save of the season.

May 30, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager (15) reacts after striking out to end the seventh inning with the bases loaded against the Cleveland Indians at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

The Mariners were paced tonight by Robinson Cano. The M’s superstar second baseman went 2 for 4 with a walk, home run and 2 RBI’s. The round tripper was Cano’s first since April 14, and hopefully is a sign he is finally turning the corner. Kyle Seager also had a nice night at the dish, going 2 for 3 with a walk and 2 doubles. However, Seags had a great chance to tie the game or give Seattle the lead in the 7th with the bases loaded, but struck out swinging on 3 pitches to end the Mariners’ threat. Austin Jackson also had a 2-hit night for the home side.

Jerry Sands provided Cleveland with some unexpected production tonight in Seattle. Sands had not appeared in a big league game since April 27, but he showed little signs of rust. The 27-year-old launched a 2-run shot in the 2nd inning to extend the Tribe’s lead to 3 runs in the early going. Daniel Murphy and Nick Swisher were responsible for the other Indians’ runs on Saturday night. Cleveland was limited by the M’s pitching staff, but they made the most of their opportunities.

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It was a mixed bag tonight for the Mariners offensively. They were able to tally 11 hits as a team, but stranded 9 runners on base. As a team, the M’s were 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position. This has been Seattle’s achilles heel in 2015. The winning formula in baseball is good pitching, good defense and timely hitting. The M’s have 2 out of 3 traits, but if they cannot constantly come through with runners in scoring position, their season will be doomed.

The Seattle Mariners (24-25) will hope to split the 4-game series with the Cleveland Indians (23-26) Sunday afternoon at Safeco Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 pm from the corner of Edgar & Dave. J.A. Happ (3-1, 3.71 ERA) will toe the rubber for the M’s in the series finale, and Danny Salazar (5-1, 3.65 ERA) with get the ball for the Tribe. Root Sports Northwest will carry the game live locally, and MLB.tv subscribers can watch on connected devices.

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