Mariners Game Recap: Red Sox hand out a Beanton beatdown

The Boston Red Sox (51-64) crushed the Seattle Mariners (54-62) on Friday night, winning 15-1 in the series opener at Fenway Park. Joe Kelly (5-6, 5.69 ERA) had his way with the M’s en route to earning the victory. Mike Montgomery (4-5, 4.14 ERA) never looked comfortable, and was credited with the loss for Seattle.

It is hard to believe, but the Mariners actually held a 1-0 lead tonight in the top of the 1st inning. Kyle Seager connected on a solo home run to give the M’s an early edge. However, it was all BoSox after that. The Red Sox humiliated Seattle by scoring 15 unanswered runs. Boston tallied 13 runs on 18 hits through the first 6 innings alone.

Obviously, it was not Mike Montgomery’s night. Monty allowed 9 runs on 10 hits through 2.1 innings of work. The 26-year-old struck out 1, walked 1 and allowed a pair of home runs. It has been a very rough week for the young southpaw. Tonight’s stinker is hot on the heels of Lloyd McClendon publicly criticizing Montgomery for shaking off too many signs in his loss to the Texas Rangers last Saturday. Monty is now 0-3 with a 7.99 ERA over his last 32.2 innings pitched. Worse yet, Seattle is a combined 0-7 in Montgomery’s last 7 starts. I expect him to get another shot, but Mike is skating on thin ice right now.

David Rollins was called on to replace Monty in the 3rd inning. Rollins fared better, but was still far from effective. The 25-year-old allowed 2 runs on 4 hits across 2.2 innings. Mayckol Guaipe has been underwhelming since being recalled last month, and he surrendered 3 runs on 5 hits through 1.2 innings. Rob Rasmussen pitched part of the 7th and all of the 8th for Seattle, allowing 1 run on 2 hits.

Kyle Seager’s 1st inning dinger was the lone bright spot in an otherwise dismal showing for Seattle on Friday. Seager’s home run was his 17th of the season. Austin Jackson did a nice job hitting out of the leadoff spot for the M’s. AJ finished 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles. Robinson Cano, Ketel Marte, Logan Morrison and Brad Miller contributed a hit apiece in the losing effort.

From a fans perspective, the most disappointing aspect of the night was Nelson Cruz‘s 21-game coming to an end. Cruz went 0 for 3 this evening, but did work a walk in the top of the 1st. The 35-year-old’s 21-game hitting streak tied Troy Tulowitzki for the longest hitting streak thus far in 2015. Cruz hit .411 with 13 home runs and 17 RBI during his incredible run. Nelly has been remarkable this season for Seattle, and I have no doubt that he will start a new hitting streak tomorrow afternoon.

Joe Kelly shut down the Mariners on Friday, allowing just 1 run on 4 hits through 6 innings. Kelly fanned 6 and walked 2 in the win. Kelly has had a miserable season, but facing the lackluster Mariners proved to the antidote he needed. Craig Breslow worked 2 shutout frames in relief for Boston, and Jean Machi held Seattle off the scoreboard in the 9th.

It was an offensive showcase for the Red Sox tonight, as 9 separate Boston players tallied multiple hits. They combined to post 21 hits as a team. Xander Bogaerts was the only member of the Red Sox starting lineup not to register at least 1 hit. Brock Holt finished 2 for 6 with a double, a triple and 3 RBI. Rusney Castillo went 2 for 3 with a home run and 2 RBI. Pablo Sandoval had a nice game, going 3 for 5 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI. Travis Shaw‘s breakout season continued tonight, as he finished 3 for 5 with a pair of home runs and 3 RBI.

It seems fitting that Seattle would lay an egg a mere 48 hours after Hisashi Iwakuam hurled the 5th no-hitter in franchise history. This season will go down as one of the most disappointing and inconsistent in recent memory for M’s fans. Tonight’s game was practically unwatchable, especially with the Seahawks kicking off their preseason schedule against the Denver Broncos in Seattle. Hopefully, the M’s can build some positive momentum over the final 6 weeks of the season as they head into what will undoubtably be an offseason defined by change.

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Friday’s loss means Seattle has fallen to 9 games back of the Houston Astros in the American League West. The M’s are currently 6.5 games out in the wildcard race. MLB.com is giving the Mariners a 3% chance to make the postseason, which seems far too optimistic if you ask me.

The Seattle Mariners (54-62) will have a chance to put tonight’s pathetic display behind them on Saturday afternoon against the Boston Red Sox (51-64). First pitch is scheduled for 10:35 am PST from Fenway Park in Beantown. Felix Hernandez (14-6, 3.11 ERA) will try and get Seattle back on track, and Wade Miley (8-9, 4.68 ERA) will get the ball for the Red Sox. Root Sports Northwest will carry the game live locally, and MLB Network will beam the game nationwide. As always, MLB.tv subscribers can watch worldwide on connected devices.

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