Mariners Game Recap: LoMo Hits Walk-off to Beat A’s in 11

May 8, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners first baseman Logan Morrison (center) celebrates his walk off home run in the 11th inning against the Oakland Athletics at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Mariners (12-17) won in dramatic fashion on Friday night thanks to Logan Morrison‘s 11th inning walk-off home run. The M’s beat the Oakland A’s (12-19) 4-3 in the series opener. Carson Smith (1-2, 1.23 ERA) pitched a pair of shutout innings to earn the win for Seattle. Dan Otero (2-2, 4.85 ERA) only threw 1 pitch, but was saddled with the loss for the A’s.

The Mariners pushed the first run across tonight against starter Sonny Gray. Kyle Seager laced a leadoff double down the right field line in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Logan Morrison has been white hot as of late, and he singled home Seager on a ground ball to left field. Morrison’s RBI single gave Seattle an early 1-0 lead.

Seattle’s lead was short-lived however, as the A’s tied the game in the top of the 3rd inning. Bespectacled second baseman Eric Sogard led off the frame with a leadoff single to right field. Taijuan Walker walked Coco Crisp to put the tying run in scoring position with none out. Walker was able to retire the following 2 hitters, but Billy Butler came through with a 2-out RBI single to right field. Butler’s single tied the game at 1.

The Athletics jumped out in front of the M’s in the top of the 5th inning. Sam Fuld is a pesky player, and he hit a 2-out single to right field to extend the inning for Oakland. Josh Reddick made the Mariners pay, homering on a line drive to center field. Reddick’s 2-run blast gave the A’s a 3-1 lead.

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It was the Mariners turn to come back in the home half of the 7th inning. Dustin Ackley provided a leadoff single, and advanced to second base on a passed ball to put himself in scoring position. Chris Taylor and Seth Smith struck out, but Brad Miller ripped an RBI double down the right field line to cut the A’s lead in half. Robinson Cano copied Miller by yanking a 2-out double of his own down the right field line to tie the game at 3.

Logan Morrison had himself quite a night on Friday against the A’s. He sent the fans home happy in the bottom of the 11th inning, depositing the first pitch he saw into the seats in center field. LoMo’s dinger was of the solo variety and gave the Mariners a 4-3 win in the series opener.

The full box score can be found here.

Next: Tai Walker Allows 3 Runs Across 5 Innings

May 8, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Taijuan Walker (32) throws out a pitch in the first inning against the Oakland Athletics at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

Prince Tai Surrenders 3 Runs in 5 Innings

Tai Walker pitched better on Friday night at Safeco Field. I am not going to say he pitched great, but his performance was encouraging. Walker allowed 3 earned runs on 5 hits across 5 innings this evening. He struck out 6 and walked 2. Prince Tai was far from perfect tonight, but 59 of his 97 pitches found the strike zone.

This season has not gone as planned for the 22-year-old. Apart from his outing on April 27 in Texas, Walker has failed to make it out of the 6th inning in any of his 6 starts in 2015. Prince Tai put together a phenomenal spring training, but his 1-3 record and 8.13 ERA leave plenty to be desired. Despite his recent struggles, Walker’s spot in the M’s starting rotation should be safe until Hisashi Iwakuma is ready to return. The imposing right-hander has all the ability to be a top flight starter in the league, but he needs to develop more consistency.

Taijuan Walker will get the ball next for the Mariners on May 14 when Seattle plays host to the Boston Red Sox.

Next: LoMo Walks it Off in 11

May 8, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners first baseman Logan Morrison (20) looks at his walk off home run as it sails into the stand in the 11th inning against the Oakland Athletics at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

LoMo Walks it Off in 11

Logan Morrison is other worldly right now. He may not be quite on the Nelson Cruz level yet, but he is close. LoMo drove in half of the M’s runs tonight, and clubbed a walk-off home run deep to center field. Morrison finished the game 2 for 5, and raised his batting average to .245.

LoMo has seen his batting average climb nearly .100 points over the last 10 games. He has been on a tear, homering 4 times and driving in 8 runs. Morrison has broken out in a big way, and hopefully his performance is sustainable. LoMo is a fan favorite, and it was great to see him hit such an important home run in front of the Safeco Field faithful.

I do not mean to toot my own horn, but I picked Logan Morrison as my “pick to click” prior to tonight’s game. I said he would come through with the game winning RBI, and thanks to LoMo’s walk-off dinger, I was right! I also predicted the M’s would win the series opener by a final score of 4-3.

Next: Mariners' Bullpen Saves the Day

May 8, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Carson Smith (39) throws out a pitch in the 10th inning against the Oakland Athletics at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

Mariners’ Bullpen Saves the Day

The Seattle Mariners’ bullpen blew a pair of games earlier this week in Anaheim, but they looked much better tonight. Tai Walker was pulled after 5 innings, and the M’s ‘pen hurled 6 shutout frames. All told, the Mariners’ relievers struck out 8 and walked 1. It was nice to see them pitching effectively given their significant struggles in 2015.

Danny Farquhar has had a rough start to the season, but he looked much more comfortable tonight on the mound. Lord Farquhar pitched 1 shutout inning, and struck out 2 A’s. Farquhar excelled as the M’s setup man last season, and hopefully he is able to build on tonight’s strong outing.

Fernando Rodney was surprisingly effective tonight for the Mariners. Skipper Lloyd McClendon called on the M’s closer with a tie game in the 9th, and he managed to pitch a scoreless inning. He did allow a baserunner, but collected 2 strikeouts to escape the threat. Rodney was awful in early April, but he has stabilized nicely in the weeks since.

Carson Smith was huge for the Mariners in extra innings tonight. Smitty kept the A’s off the scoreboard in the 10th and 11th inning. The 25-year-old right-hander recorded 3 punch outs, and looked poised on the hill. Smith has appeared in half of the M’s games this season, and has the look of a future closer.

Next: Looking Ahead