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Mariners Game Recap: Mariners Crush Homers and A’s in 8-2 Win

By Adam Levi

May 2, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Seattle Mariners left fielder Norichika Aoki (8) gets high fives from teammates after the end of the game against the Oakland Athletics at the Coliseum. The Seattle Mariners defeated the Oakland Athletics 4 to 3. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
May 2, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Seattle Mariners left fielder Norichika Aoki (8) gets high fives from teammates after the end of the game against the Oakland Athletics at the Coliseum. The Seattle Mariners defeated the Oakland Athletics 4 to 3. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Mariners clinched their 6th straight series win this season as they continued pounding home runs to earn a commanding 8-2 win in Oakland.

Mariners starter, Hisashi Iwakuma came to the mound for the first time in May attempting to get his first win on the year; he came out with a purpose, powering through the opening inning in 1,2,3 fashion and tallied a strikeout. His opponent, Sonny Gray started off equally as good, but did concede an insignificant walk.

It was the 2nd frame that provided the only hiccup for Iwakuma, who walked two batters in the inning. Last season he only had 5 games with 2+ walks and it hadn’t been since August 29th, 2015 that Iwakuma walked 2 batters in the same inning. Gray had another impressive inning, but it would be his last of the night, in which he was trying to get his first career win against the Mariners in Oakland Coliseum.

The M’s broke the game open in the 3rd and 4th with 2 dingers; the first, a 2-run knock from Leonys Martin, the exact moment Mariner announcers, Mike Blowers and Dave Sims, were discussing Martin’s 0-16 slump. The second came from the sure American League all-star, Robinson Cano who blasted a solo shot for his AL-tying (with Josh Donaldson of the Blue Jays) 9th homer of the year, and his first opposite field shot. Kyle Seager followed Cano’s long bomb with his 150th career double before gray escaped from the 4th, the score now 3-0 Mariners.

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In the 5th, the 8 and 9 batters, Steve Clevenger and Martin, continued rolling, each of them picking up their 2nd hits of the ball game- a collective 4-4 through 5 innings from the Mariners most struggling part of the lineup whose combined batting average before tonight was .193. During the home team’s chance to cut down the lead, the Athletics hit Iwakuma early for 2 hits, the later allowing the first run to come home off a single from Jed Lowrie, but it was the stellar defense by Ketel Marte that led to an inning-ending double-play that saved Iwakuma from further damage.

In the 7th, Nori Aoki decided to get back the lone run that his countryman allowed in the 5th when he bursted to first-base, getting an infield single that brought in Marte to make the score 4-1. Iwakuma thanked Aoki by mowing down the Athletics side in the bottom half of the frame in order, including his 3rd K of the night.

The heart of the Mariners lineups continued to attack Gray- who was still in the game in the 8th- starting with a double by Cano followed by a Nelson Cruz single and finished off by an Adam Lind blooper that dropped between three Oakland defenders, bringing in Cano. It was that back-to-back-to-back sequence that ultimate took Gray out of the game.

It didn’t get any better for Athletics reliever, Marc Rzepczynski, who surrendered a towering no-doubter off the bat of Kyle Seager for the 3-run smash; Rzepczynski would be taken out after only facing Seagar. With the 3rd Mariner homer in the game, they moved only 1 shy of the the Baltimore Orioles for the American League home run lead with 35 on the year. Liam Hendriks replaced Rzepczynski and managed to get out of the disastrous inning, but the insurmountable damage had been inflicted.

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Iwakuma did not come out for the 8th inning, as the decision was definite, giving him a rest after his fantastic 7-inning, 4-hit, 1-run night to go with his 3 strikeouts, earning that illustrious 1st win. One of the newer Mariners, Mayckol Guiaipe, came in to finish the 8th off and did a excellent job taking down 3 of the 4 A’s he faced and gave up only one hit.

Steve Johnson, a promising reliever prospect, got a chance to make his team debut the day he was called up to end the game in the 9th. Johnson looked good aside from his one mistake to Khris Davis who obliterated the ball to straight away center, but the younger right-hander bounced back and secured the 6th straight series win for the Mariners, putting the team back in first place and hiking their record up to 15-11.

Next: King Felix’s Top 5 Performances

Tomorrow the Mariners will look to go for their first sweep of the year with King Felix (2-2, 1.38 ERA) taking the mound; he will face Sean Manaea (0-0, 7.20)

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