Mariners Game Recap: C & C Boys Lead M’s Past Rangers

The Seattle Mariners (51-59) bested the Texas Rangers (55-55) 4-3 on Friday night at Safeco Field in the opener of a 3-game weekend series. Hisashi Iwakuma (3-2, 4.41 ERA) fought though early struggles to secure the win tonight for the M’s. Cole Hamels (6-8, 3.86 ERA) was saddled with the loss. Carson Smith has been shaky lately for Seattle, but the 25-year-old right-hander earned his 11th save of the season.

Hisashi Iwakuma allowed 3 runs on 6 hits across 7 solid innings of work. Kuma struggled a little bit in the early going, but he got stronger as the game went on. Iwakuma finished with 6 strikeouts and 0 walks. His typical pinpoint command was on full display, as 85 of his 118 pitches found the strike zone. Perhaps the most encouraging takeaway from tonight’s outing was the fact that he did not surrender any home runs. The 34-year-old has had trouble keeping the ball in the yard in 2015, and Friday’s outing was just his second start of the season in which he has not allowed a dinger.

Joe Beimel was called on to pitch in the 8th, and as always, he did a nice job for the M’s. Beimel allowed Rougned Odor to reach, but picked him off first with a superb move. He then got Prince Fielder to fly out to left field before giving way to Tom Wilhelmsen. The Bartender served up a nasty breaking pitch to get Adrian Beltre swinging to end the frame. Carson Smith entered with a 1-run lead in the 9th, and proceeded to shut the door on the visitors from the Lone Star State.

Unlike Iwakuma, Cole Hamels was electric early, but faded in the later innings. The 31-year-old southpaw allowed 4 runs on 8 hits across 6 innings on Friday night at Safeco. Hamels fanned 7 and walked 2 in the first loss of his Rangers’ career. Spencer Patton entered in the 7th, and hurled 1.2 shutout frames in relief. Sam Freeman retired the final hitter in the 8th to keep it a 1-run game.

The C & C Boys led the M’s again tonight, and it was fun to watch. Nelson Cruz and Robinson Cano went back-to-back in the 7th to give the Mariners a 4-3 lead. Cruz’s home run was his 5th so far in the month of August, and extended his hitting streak to a remarkable 17 games. Cano went 2 for 4 tonight for Seattle. Cano is now hitting .339 with 8 home runs and 26 RBI’s since July 1st. Mark Trumbo went deep in the 5th for his 13th home run of the season. Jesus Montero also had a nice night, going 2 for 4 with a double.

Bobby Wilson was an unlikely catalyst for the Rangers’ offense on Friday night. Despite entering with a paltry .190 batting average in 2015, the veteran backstop came through with a clutch 2-run double to get Texas on the board. Rougned Odor is as hot as anyone in baseball right now, and he finished 2 for 4 this evening. Josh Hamilton had a nice night, going 2 for 4.

The Mariners are having fun right now, and in turn, they are fun to watch. The M’s are 4-2 so far this month, and they are slowly clawing their way back into the race. It may be a long shot for Seattle to make the playoffs, but it is worth noting that the Mariners’ schedule is extremely weak the rest of the way. The talent is here, and is nice to see the club gelling these days. Having fun dramatically changed the course of the franchise during the 1995 season, and hopefully lightning will strike twice two decades later.

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With the win tonight, Seattle is now 9.5 games back of the American League West leading Houston Astros. The M’s are just 7.5 games back in the wildcard race with nearly 2 full months left in the season.

The Seattle Mariners (51-59) will play host to the Texas Rangers (55-55) again on Saturday afternoon at Safeco Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 pm from the corner of Edgar & Dave. Mike Montgomery (4-4, 3.07 ERA) will get the ball for the M’s, and Martin Perez (1-2, 6.64 ERA) will toe the rubber for Texas. Root Sports Northwest will carry the game live locally, and MLB.tv subscribers can watch worldwide on connected devices.

KEY NOTE: Make sure you tune into Root Sports’ coverage at 12:30 pm to see Jamie Moyer‘s induction into the Mariners Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be star studded, as many former greats will be on hand to welcome the Mariners’ legend in the prestigious community.

Next: Sodo Mojo Podcast: Rodney, HOF and Cruz

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