Mariners Game Recap: M’s Lose in Predictable Fashion

The Oakland Athletics (68-93) fought back to beat the Seattle Mariners (75-86), 7-5 on Saturday night at Safeco Field.  In typical Mariners fashion, the bullpen collapsed to give Oakland the chance to win. JC Ramirez (1-2, 5.32 ERA) was credited with the loss for the M’s, and Pat Venditte (2-2, 4.40 ERA) earned the win for the visitors. Felix Doubront picked up his 1st save of the season for the A’s tonight.

The Athletics jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the 1st inning. Oakland extended their lead to 4 runs in the 3rd. The comeback started in the home half of the 3rd, as the Mariners plated 3 runs to make it a 4-3 game. The M’s pushed ahead in the 6th thanks to a Ketel Marte RBI single. Unfortunately, Seattle blew another lead tonight. Oakland fought back to tie the game in the 9th, and a Marcus Semien 2-run home run won the game for the A’s in the 13th.

Roenis Elias got the ball for Seattle on Saturday night, and he did not finish his season the way he wanted to. The 27-year-old southpaw allowed 4 runs on 7 hits across 2 innings pitched. Elias walked 3 and struck out none in his final outing of 2015. I do not know what the future holds for Elias, but I would be very surprised if he breaks camp next spring in the Mariners’ starting rotation.

Tony Zych entered in the 3rd inning, and he did a marvellous job stopping the bleeding. Zych hurled 3 shutout frames to keep Seattle in the ballgame. Mayckol Guaipe walked a pair of A’s in the 6th, but managed to escape unscathed. Logan Kensing and Carson Smith combined to pitch a perfect 7th inning for the Mariners. Smitty got the call again in the 8th, and he pitched yet another scoreless frame.

However, Tom Wilhelmsen blew up in the final frame, walking the leadoff man, hitting Mark Canha and uncorking a wild pitch to put runners on second and third with none out. The Bartender blew the save opportunity, but he did not surrender the lead. Joe Beimel delivered a pair of scoreless innings in the 10th and the 11th for the M’s. JC Ramirez made it through the 12th inning alright, but served up a 2-run blast in the 13th.

Robinson Cano is set to undergo sports hernia surgery at the end of the season, but he did not look hurt tonight. The star second baseman went 2 for 5 with a walk, a home run and 3 RBI. Robby has now raised his batting average by 50 points since July 1st. Brad Miller had an interesting night, as he played all 3 outfield positions over the course of the game and finished 2 for 5 at the plate. Ketel Marte went 2 for 6 with a pair of singles and an RBI.

Sean Nolin was average at best for the visitors, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits across 5 innings. The young left-hander struck out 2 and issued 1 free pass. Arnold Leon came on to pitch in the 6th, and immediately served up a leadoff single. Leon was promptly yanked, and Daniel Coulombe allowed 1 run on a pair of hits. Fernando Rodriguez struck out the side in the 7th, and Fernando Abad blanked Seattle in the 8th. Edward Mujica pitched a scoreless 9th inning. Pat Venditte got the job done in the 10th, 11th and 12th. Felix Doubront shut the door in the 13th to secure the victory.

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Marcus Semien was the hero in extra innings, as he came through with a 2-run home run to win the game. Semien finished 2 for 6 on the night. Danny Valencia was a impact player for the A’s tonight, as he clubbed a 3-run home run in the 1st inning. The dinger was Valencia’s 18th of the season. Mark Canha always seems to hit well against the M’s, and he finished 2 for 4 with a triple, 2 walks and a run scored this evening. Brett Lawrie had a nice game as well, going 2 for 6 and tying the game in the 9th with a sacrifice fly.

The Seattle Mariners (75-86) will host the Oakland A’s (68-93) in the season finale Sunday afternoon at Safeco Field. First pitch is scheduled for 12:10 pm from the corner of Edgar & Dave. Vidal Nuno (1-4, 4.19 ERA) will be on the bump for the Mariners tomorrow, and Chris Bassitt (1-8, 3.60 ERA) will toe the rubber for the A’s. Root Sports Northwest will broadcast the game locally, and MLB.tv subscribers can watch worldwide on connected devices. I personally cannot wait for this season to end!

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