Mariners Game Recap: Angels Power Past M’s

The Los Angeles Angels (73-71) edged the Seattle Mariners (70-76), 4-3 on Tuesday night at Safeco Field. Nick Tropeano (2-2, 5.26 ERA) earned the win for the visitors. Felix Hernandez (17-8, 3.55 ERA) fell flat in front of his supporters in King’s Court. Joe Smith notched his 3rd save of the season for Los Angeles.

A solo home run gave the Mariners an early 1-0 lead in the home half of the 1st inning. The Halos fought back in the 3rd to take a 3-1 lead. Seattle cut LA’s lead in half in the 4th, but the Angels added a solo home run in the 6th to make it a 4-2 game. The M’s shrunk the lead again in the 7th, but ultimately came up 1 run short of completing the comeback.

Felix Hernandez did a decent job for the Mariners on Tuesday night. The 29-year-old right-hander allowed 4 runs to score on 5 hits across 7 innings of work. Hernandez struck out 5 and walked 2. The long ball bit King Felix, as he allowed a pair of home runs in the losing effort. With a win, Felix would have joined Freddy Garcia, Jamie Moyer and Hisashi Iwakuma as the only Mariners’ pitchers to win four games against the Angels in a single season.

Tony Zych entered in the 8th inning, and proceeded to pitch a pair of scoreless frames. The 25-year-old allowed 1 hit and tallied 1 strikeout.

Franklin Gutierrez led the way offensively for the Mariners, going 2 for 3 with a walk, a home run and 2 RBI. Guti has been one of the more encouraging storylines for the M’s in 2015, and he is now hitting .317 on the season. Nelson Cruz clubbed his 42nd home run of the season tonight for Seattle. Ketel Marte had a nice night as well, as he finished 2 for 4. Brad Miller contributed the other hit for the Mariners.

Nick Tropeano made his second career start against the Mariners, and he earned his second career win. The 25-year-old right-hander allowed 2 runs on 4 hits through 5 innings. He struck out 5 and walked 3 en route to picking up the win. Jose Alvarez hurled a scoreless 6th for the Halos. Fernando Salas allowed a run in the 7th, but managed to escape the inning with the lead. Trevor Gott earned his 11th hold of the season after keeping Seattle off the scoreboard in the 8th. Joe Smith shut the door in the final frame to pick up the save.

David Murphy was the catalyst for the Angels this evening. Hitting out of the leadoff spot, Murphy went 1 for 4 with a 3-run home run. Mike Trout always seems to come up with a big hit against King Felix, and he did it again tonight. Trouty hit his 36th home run of the season in the 6th inning.

More from Mariners News

• 2023 Steamer Projections: Teoscar Hernandez could see a drop in Seattle
• Steamer Projections: Julio Rodriguez to enter rarified air in 2023
• What if the Mariners traded FOR Tyler O’Neill this time?
• Mariners starting pitching is being overlooked by MLB
• Baking the Cake: An Adjusted Mariners Offseason Plan

Tongiht’s loss cost the Mariners half a game in the American League West, as they now trail the Houston Astros by 8 games. Seattle is 7.5 games back in the wildcard race.

The Seattle Mariners (70-76) will host the Los Angeles Angels (73-71) in the series finale on Wednesday night at Safeco Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 pm from the corner of Edgar & Dave. Hisashi Iwakuma (7-4, 4.05 ERA) will get the ball for the Mariners in the rubber match, and Jered Weaver (7-10, 4.71 ERA) will be on the bump for the Halos tomorrow night. Root Sports Northwest will carry the game live locally, and MLB.tv subscribers can watch worldwide on connected devices.

Next: Mariners Weekly Rundown: Who's Hot & Who's Not

More from SoDo Mojo

• 2023 Steamer Projections: Teoscar Hernandez could see a drop in Seattle
• Could the Mariners Acquire AL Batting Champion, Luis Arraez?
• Steamer Projections: Julio Rodriguez to enter rarified air in 2023
• What if the Mariners traded FOR Tyler O’Neill this time?
• Mariners starting pitching is being overlooked by MLB