Mariners Game Recap: M’s Annihilate Indians, 9-3

The Seattle Mariners (27-32) took out 2 weeks worth of frustration on the Cleveland Indians (27-31) on Wednesday night, wining 9-3 for their second consecutive win. The M’s have now taken the first 2 games of the 3 game set, and have assured themselves their first series win since the last week of May. Taijuan Walker (3-6, 5.40 ERA) earned the victory for Seattle, and Trevor Bauer (5-3, 3.53 ERA) was credited with the loss for the Tribe.

Jun 10, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (32) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Taijuan Walker has turned his season around over his last 3 outings. After consecutive 8 inning starts, Prince Tai pitched 6 strong innings tonight in Cleveland. Walker allowed 1 run on 8 hits while striking out 6 and walking 2. He had the ground ball pitch working, as his 6:2 groundout to fight ratio indicates. Walker’s command was reasonably good tonight, with 63 of his 92 pitches finding the strike zone. I am really impressed the way Prince Tai has steadied himself lately. Most 22-year-old’s would have crumbled after the start to the season Walker had, but he has really rallied over his last 3 outings.

The Mariners’ bullpen did a nice job on Wednesday. Joe Beimel allowed 1 run, but did a nice job pitching 2 innings for Seattle. Fernando Rodney was called on to pitch the 9th inning with a 7-run lead. Even Rodney cannot blow a 7-run lead, although he did try. The archery enthusiast allowed a leadoff single, followed by a double to give the Tribe runners on second and third with none out. After getting Carlos Santana looking, Brad Miller made a great diving snag behind him to get the second out. The runner did come into score on the play however, and made it a 9-3 game. Rodney got Brandon Moss to pop out weakly in foul territory to end the game.

Trevor Bauer was awful tonight for the Tribe. The hard throwing right-hander surrendered 6 runs on 4 hits across 3.2 innings pitched. He recorded 5 punch outs, but struggled mightily with his command. The 24-year-old UCLA alum issued 5 free passes, and just 49 of his 86 pitches were called strikes. Bauer entered Wednesday’s start with a 2.94 ERA this season, and he exited with a 3.53 ERA.

The Indians’ bullpen did not fare much better. The Tribe received solid performances from Nick Hagadone and Ryan Webb, but Austin Adams was touched up for 3 runs on 5 hits across 2 innings of work. Only 2 of Adams’ 3 runs were earned, but the M’s hit him hard tonight.

Kyle Seager went 2 for 4 with a double, home run and 5 RBI’s to lead the M’s past the Tribe. The Mariners’ third baseman’s home run was a grand salami, and really gave the rest of the team some much needed confidence. Logan Morrison extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a 2-RBI double in the 4th inning. Brad Miller had a nice ballgame at the plate, going 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored. Austin Jackson went 1 for 3 with a walk, double and run scored. Jackson is now hitting .358 over his last 13 ballgames.

Yan Gomes once again led the way offensively for the Tribe. Gomes launched a pair of solo home runs a night ago, and he went 2 for 4 tonight. Brandon Moss and David Murphy were the only other Indians’ to record multi-hit nights on Wednesday. Zach Walters and Giovanny Urshela were responsible for the Tribe’s runs.

Where did this Mariners’ offense come from? After failing to surpass 3 runs in a game during their last 13, Seattle exploded for 9 runs on Wednesday night in Cleveland. The M’s combined to tally 10 hits tonight, and went 5 for 10 with runners in scoring position. They were patient at plate, nursing 7 walks. Even better, the Mariners did not miss when they had good pitches to hit, recording 5 extra-base hits. The fact that all this offense occurred while Nelson Cruz was on the bench is shocking. Maybe Cruz should sit out every night…maybe not.

Mariners Game Recap: M’s Annihilate Indians, 9-3

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