Mariners Game Recap: M’s Even Series with White Sox

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The Seattle Mariners (60-69) edged the Chicago White Sox (60-67) on Friday night at U.S. Cellular Field to knot the series at a game apiece. The Mariners are officially 1-0 in the Jeff Kingston era. Taijuan Walker (10-7, 4.53 ERA) earned his 10th win of the season tonight for Seattle. John Danks (6-12, 4.82 ERA) was nearly as effective as Tai, but was credited with the loss. Tom Wilhelmsen picked up his 5th save of the season after shutting the door in the 9th.

A pair of solo home runs in the 6th proved to be the difference this evening. Both teams pitched well, but the Sox hurlers made a couple more mistakes.

Taijuan Walker was exceptional on Friday, hurling 6.1 shutout frames. Prince Tai allowed 3 hits, struck out 6 and walked 1 en route to earning the win. His command was not perfect, but he gave the Sox very little to hit. Unfortunately, Walker was forced to exit the game in the 7th with an apparent hip injury. Walker was on the ground, writhing in pain. I’m sure we will find out more about the injury in the coming days. Hopefully, it will be nothing too serious.

Carson Smith has looked much more comfortable for Seattle since sliding back into the setup man role. Smitty pitched 1.2 shutout frames to earn his 16th hold of the season. Tom Wilhelmsen is excelling this week as the M’s closer. The Bartender hurled a perfect 9th inning to earn his 3rd save of the week.

Kyle Seager got the Mariners on the scoreboard in the top of the 6th. Seags launched a solo home unto right field that proved to the winning run. Seager finished 3 for 4 with a home run, RBI and a walk on Friday. Franklin Gutierrez was perfect tonight, going 3 for 3 with a solo home run. Logan Morrison has played much better this week, and he went 2 for 4 with a double tonight for Seattle. Austin Jackson had yet another nice night for the M’s, going 2 for 4.

John Danks allowed 2 runs on 7 hits across 6 innings of work. The veteran left-hander struck out 5 and did not issue any free passes. Apart from the solo home runs, Danks pitched pretty well this evening. Matt Albers entered in the 7th, and proceeded to pitch 1.2 shutout innings for Chicago. Dan Jennings kept the M’s bats at bay for 1.1 innings to keep the South Siders in the game.

Obviously, it was a stagnant night for the White Sox offensively. However, Melky Cabrera did a nice job. Cabrera went 2 for 4 with a double tonight for Chicago. Alexei Ramirez accounted for the other 2 Sox hits, as he finished 2 for 3.

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With the win, Seattle inched closer to the Houston Astros in the American League West standings. The M’s now trail by 11 games. The Mariners remain 7 games back in the wildcard race.

The Seattle Mariners (60-69) will take on the Chicago White Sox (60-67) again on Saturday afternoon at U.S. Cellular Field. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 pm PT from the Windy City. Hisashi Iwakuma (5-3, 4.29 ERA) will get the ball for the Mariners tomorrow, and Jeff Samardzija (8-10, 4.75 ERA) will be on the bump for the home side. Root Sports Northwest will carry the game live locally, and MLB.tv subscribers can watch worldwide on connected devices.

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