FanSided

Mariners Game Recap: Kyle Seager Tallies 6 RBI’s, M’s Win 7-6

By Brian Helberg |

6. 21. 7. 62. Final

The Seattle Mariners (22-23) won their second consecutive game in Tampa on Tuesday night against the Rays (24-23). Seattle put up a 4 spot in the 8th inning to take a 6-3 lead, but that is not how this one finished. The Rays stormed back to tie it in the home half of the 9th, before Seattle won 7-6 in extra innings. Fernando Rodney did not earn the win, but he was credited with it for the M’s. Brad Boxberger took the loss after allowing the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th. Joe Beimel shut the Rays down in the 10th to earn his 1st save of the season.

Seattle remains tied with the Texas Rangers for 3rd place in the American League West, 7 games back of the division leading Houston Astros. This seems like an insurmountable lead, but the Mariners have now won 4 of their last 5, and are beginning to look like the team we all hoped they would be.

More from Mariners News

J.A. Happ has been the most consistent pitcher in the Mariners’ starting rotation not named Felix Hernandez. The 32-year-old southpaw allowed 3 runs on 7 hits across 6 innings on Tuesday night. Happ struck out 3 Rays and walked 1 this evening. While he may not be the flashiest of hurlers, Happ has proven to be very effective at locating his pitches. Despite not having his best stuff, 67 of his 111 pitches found the strike zone. I had very low expectations for Happ at the beginning of the season, but he has really surprised me thus far in 2015.

Fernando Rodney is awful, and Lloyd McClendon needs to come to his senses and remove him as the club’s closer. The M’s gave their “closer” a 3 run cushion, and F-Rod blew it. After the first 2 men reached base on singles, Rodney plunked Joey Butler to load the bases. Evan Longoria made Seattle pay by crushing a double that careened off the top of the wall in left field to make it a 1-run game. After walking the next batter, Jake Elmore hit into a game tying fielder’s choice. Rodney raised his ERA to 6.98. I have had it with watching Rodney pitch, and the fact that McClendon is still sticking with him makes me question his ability to manage. Rodney has now allowed at least 1 run in 6 of his last 9 appearances. He has only blown 2 saves this season, but that tally will rise rapidly if he cannot curb this trend.

Alex Colome started tonight’s game for the Rays, and he fared reasonably well. The hard throwing right-hander allowed 2 runs on 5 hits across 5.1 innings. Colome struck out 3 and walked 2 tonight. The rays used 6 different relievers this evening with varying results. Xavier Cedeno, Steve Geltz, Kevin Jepsen and Ernesto Frieri all got the job done for Tampa. However, Jake McGee and Brad Boxberger allowed a combined 5 runs on 6 hits across 1.1 innings.

Kyle Seager put the Mariners on his back in tonight’s win. The All Star third baseman finished the game 3 for 5 with 2 home runs, 6 RBI’s and 2 runs scored. Seags hit a go-ahead grand slam in the 8th, and after the Fernando Rodney train wreck in the 9th, he hit another bomb in the 10th to give Seattle the win. Seth Smith accounted for the other Mariners’ run when he drove in Austin Jackson in the top of the 1st.

Jake Elmore is not regarded as a big time hitter, but he contributed 2 hits tonight and 4 RBI’s to the Rays cause. Evan Longoria and Joey Butler both had 3 hits on Tuesday, and Longo nearly ended this one in the 9th when he missed a game winning grand slam by inches. The Rays are not a good offensive club, and their achilles heel tonight was the fact that they left 23 men on base.

Austin Jackson made his long awaited return on Tuesday night for the Mariners. AJ missed 22 days after rolling his ankle on May 3rd in Houston, but the ankle look fine tonight. Jackson led off the game with a single, and proceeded to swipe second base for his 6th steal of the season. He did a nice job patrolling center field, and robbed Longoria of an extra base hit on a great snag. Jackson appears to be back at full strength, and his exceptional defense in the outfield figures to be a big plus for Seattle moving forward.

The Seattle Mariners (22-23) will go for the sweep tomorrow against the Tampa Bay Rays (24-23). First pitch is scheduled for 10:10 am PT from the Trop. The M’s will be hoping to get back to .500 for the first time since early April, and they have the right guy on the mound to get the job done. Felix Hernandez (7-1, 2.19 ERA) has been lights out in 2015, and he will toe the rubber in the series finale. Chris Archer (5-4, 2.40 ERA) has developed a reputation as a fiery player during his brief career, and he will look to help the Rays avoid the sweep on Wednesday. Root Sports Northwest will carry the game live, and MLB.tv subscribers can watch on connected devices.

Next: Mariners Game Notes: M’s Look to Lock up Winning Series, Road Trip

More from SoDo Mojo

Home / Mariners News

Schedule