Mariners Game Recap: Felix Reigns Supreme, but M’s Come up Short in Anaheim

King Felix made history, but the Mariners came up short against the Angels.

The Los Angeles Angels (8-10) edged the Seattle Mariners (8-9), 4-2 on Saturday night at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. The loss put an end the M’s impressive four game winning streak. Hector Santiago (2-0, 2.70 ERA) earned the win for the Halos, and Felix Hernandez (1-2, 1.80 ERA) took the loss. Huston Street shut the door in the 9th to secure his 5th save of the season.

Coming into this game, Felix Hernandez has 301 strike outs against the Angels. Today, Felix Hernandez became the Mariners all-time strike out leader in with a first inning strikeout of Rafael Ortega. I’ve written before that the King’s loyalty to the Seattle Mariners has shaped a lot of my experiences as a fan, and accomplishments like this just make it that much sweeter. It was a special moment for Felix, but equally as special for the fans that get the privledge to watch him every five days. Here is the record breaking pitch:

Seattle once again got the scoring started in the first inning. Leonys Martin drove in the first run thanks to a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded, but the Mariners were unable to capitalize with runners in scoring position.

The Angels got on the board with a Cliff Pennington solo home run in the bottom of the third inning. The Angels had the chance to break it open in the fourth, but Felix worked out of a jam to keep the score 1-1.

Nelson Cruz hit his second home run in as many days to temporarily put the Mariners up 2-1 in the top of the 6th inning. However, we would not hold the lead for long. Mike Trout hit his 5th career home run against Felix in the bottom half of the inning, a 2-run shot to center to make the score 3-2.

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Felix Hernandez pitched seven innings, giving up three earned runs on five hits and four strike outs. It’s no secret that the M’s bats have not been able to back up the starling pitching performances Felix has churned out throughout the years. Today was a smilier story. He has only received eight runs of support over his last four starts from this offense.

Adam Lind had a chance to start a rally in the top of the 7th, but for the second night in the row was thrown out at second trying to stretch a single into a double. The Mariners stayed mostly quiet for the rest of the game. This biggest flare coming in the top of the 8th, when Angels reliever Joe Smith plunked Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz to put two runners on with two outs. Seth Smith grounded out to end the inning.

Tony Zych came in to pitch the bottom of the 8th inning. He struck out Yunel Escobar for the first out. Rafael Ortega then singled to right, and was advanced to second on a errant pick-off attempt by Zych. The hard-throwing righty then intentionally walked Mike Trout, and struck out Albert Pujols. Vidal Nuno replaced Zych and gave up a run scoring single to Kole Calhoun.

Next: King Felix Goes for History in Anaheim

The Seattle Mariners (8-9) will take on the Anaheim Angels (8-10) on Sunday afternoon for the rubber match of this three-game set. First pitch is scheduled for 12:35 PM PT.  Wade Miley (0-2, 8.04 ERA) will take the ball for the Mariners, as he looks for his first win of this young season. Matt Shoemaker (1-2, 4.70 ERA) will pitch for the Angels. If you are in the Northwest, you can catch the action on Root Sports. MLB.tv subscribers can catch the game worldwide on connected devices.