Mariners Game Recap: M’s Soar Past Angels in Anaheim

The Mariners made it look easy on Sunday afternoon, winning 9-4 against the Angels in Anaheim.

The Seattle Mariners (9-9) dominated the Los Angeles Angels (8-11) en route to winning 9-4 on Sunday afternoon in Anaheim. With the win, Seattle took the weekend series from the Halos, and have now won three consecutive series’. Wade Miley (1-2, 7.04 ERA) was credited with his first win as a Mariner, and Matt Shoemaker (1-3, 6.87 ERA) was saddled with the loss for Los Angeles. Nick Vincent recorded the final 5 outs of the game to pick up his first save of the season.

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It’s hard to say Wade Miley “earned” the win this afternoon, as he was the benefactor of an outstanding performance from the M’s bats. The veteran southpaw allowed 4 runs on 6 hits through 7.1 innings of work. Miley stuck out 3, walked 2 and allowed a pair of homers. He allowed 3 runs to cross the plate in the 1st inning, but managed to regain his composure, and fared much better in the middle innings. However, Miley needs to step up his game if he plans on spending the entire season pitching out of the Mariners’ starting rotation.

The Mariners opened the scoring today in the top of the 1st inning. Nori Aoki worked a leadoff walk, and then hustled over to third base on a Seth Smith single. Nelson Cruz drove in Aoki on a single of his own to give Seattle an early 1-0 lead. Kyle Seager took out his early season frustrations on a 77 mph curve, depositing it into the seats in right field for a 3-run homer. Seager’s blast extended the M’s lead to 4 runs.

The Halos fought back to make it a 1-run game in the home half of the 1st. Miley was able to get the first two hitters out with relative ease, but Mike Trout came through with a 2-out single to keep the inning alive. Albert Pujols got a pitch he could handle and drove it over the wall in left-center field for a 2-run shot. Kole Calhoun followed the homer by working a free pass, and sprinted home to score on a Geovany Soto double.

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However, Seattle took control of the game in the 4th inning. Steve Clevenger has been hot on this road trip, and he led off the frame with a walk. Leonys Martin has shown more pop than many expected, and he clubbed his 3rd home run of the season to make it 6-3 for Seattle. Ketel Marte doubled to keep the threat alive, and scored as a result of Smith grounding into a double play. The Mariners held a 7-3 lead midway through the 4th.

The Angels attempted to rally in the bottom of the 8th. Yunel Escobar connected on a solo home run to shrink the M’s lead to 3 runs, but it proved to be too little too late for the home side.

The Mariners added 2 more insurance runs in the top of the 9th. Aoki nursed a 2-out walk, and Seth Smith yanked a fastball deep to right field for a 2-run home run. Smitty’s dinger essentially sealed the win for Seattle.

Next: Miley Looks for First Win

Looking ahead, the Seattle Mariners (9-9) will make their way back to the Emerald City to host the Houston Astros (6-12) at Safeco Field on Monday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 pm from the corner of Edgar & Dave. Taijuan Walker (1-0, 1.50 ERA) will be on the bump for the M’s, and Doug Fister (1-2, 5.94 ERA) will get the ball for the Astros in the series opener. Tomorrow’s game will be televised locally on Root Sports Northwest, and MLB.tv subscribers can watch worldwide on connected devices.