Chris Young Deals, Mariners Hold Off Orioles

In an almost must win for the Seattle Mariners, Chris Young continued to prove why he has been the biggest surprise in the Major Leagues.

Young went 7 innings, giving up 2 hits with 3 walks with 8 strike outs.

He lowered his ERA to 3.04 and is now 9-6 for the M’s after a 4-3 win, snapping a 4 game losing streak.

Young started off the game well, striking out Nick Markakis to start the game, then getting Delmon Young to pop out to first and Adam Jones to ground out to short.

The Mariners threatened in the bottom of the first, after Bud Norris retired the first two hitters, Cano and Morales both walked bringing Kyle Seager to the plate.

After Seager ran the count to 2-2, Norris got him swinging on a breaking ball low and inside and thus, stopping the Mariners threat.

Young went 7 innings, giving up 2 hits with 3 walks and 8 strike outs. He lowered his ERA to 3.04 and is now 9-6 for the M’s.

After an uneventful 2nd inning, the Mariners struck for 3 runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning.

Jesus Sucre lead off the inning with a single to center field, followed by a strike out from James Jones, Dustin Ackley came to the plate and hit a check swing double down the third base line.

Robinson Cano was intentionally walked for newly acquired Kendrys Morales. After falling behind in the count 1-2, Norris hit Morales with a breaking ball that hit him squarely in the knee.

While replays showed that Morales might have swung, the umpires award him first base and an RBI for his efforts.

The Mariners weren’t done there, Kyle Seager laced a line drive to right field that landed just in front of Markakis to score Ackley from third.

After a Hart strike out, Logan Morrison flicked a base hit to left field to drive in one run, Nelson Cruz, who was playing left field, fumbled the ball and Seager tried to advance to third without realizing that Morales was being held up by the third base coach.

Cruz threw the ball in to the cut off man and he applied the tag to Morales to end the inning.

The bottom of the 5th inning, Dustin Ackley led off the inning with a double down the left field line, this one was hit a lot harder than the first double down the left field line he had earlier in the game.

Robinson Cano got an RBI double with an inside out swing to drive a ball just out of the reach of JJ Hardy at short to add to the lead.

Chris Young continued to deal, after a 2 out single to Delmon Young in the third, Young retired 13 of the last 16 batters he faced to go a strong 7 innings for the M’s.

The Mariners ran into a little bit of trouble in the top of the 8th inning. Danny Farquhar was in for relief for Chris Young. After retiring the first two batters in the inning, Adam Jones was hit by a pitch and Nelson Cruz was walked and that ended the night for Lord Farquhar.

Joe Beimel relieved Farquhar with two outs in the inning. With a lack luster attempt at blocking the pitch by Sucre, the fast ball went to the back stop and both runners moved up 90 feet.

On a very rare error by third basemen Kyle Seager, both runners scored and Chris Davis ended up at second.

Yoervis Medina replaced Beimel to face JJ Hardy to get the last out of the inning. Hardy had other ideas, he laced a single to left field scoring Davis from second and bringing the Orioles within one run 4-3. Manny Machado grounded a 1-2 fastball back to Medina to end the inning.

After a 1-2-3 bottom of the 8th, Fernando Rodney entered the top of the 9th look for career save number 200.

Ryan Flaherty led of the inning, battling for 8 pitches before striking out for the first out of the inning. David Lough drew a 5 pitch walk and the tying run was on first with only one out in the inning.

Nick Markakis lined a first pitch fastball to left field that Ackley secured for the 2nd out of the inning. Delmon Young fell behind 0-2 before David Lough decided to try and get into scoring position before the pitch was even thrown.

Rodney stepped off the rubber and threw it to Cano covering second for the final out of the game and save number 200.

Rodney shot his celebratory arrow right at Lough after he got the final out of the inning.

Game Notes:

Roenis Ellias goes tomorrow for the M’s, looking to lead the M’s to a series split from the O’s. Dustin Ackley continues his hot hitting going 2-4 from the 2 hole in the line up.

Kendrys Morales is 1-5 since joining the M’s via a trade but has contributed 2 RBIs in those two games.