Mariners Game Recap: Jose Quintana Dominates M’s in Seattle

The Mariners had a chance to repeat last night’s walk-off heading to the ninth inning down two (again), but couldn’t replicate their late-game wonders due to bullpen blunders. This time they would lose 6-1.

Early on the Seattle Mariners looked like they would be dominated, and possibly no-hit. Chicago White Sox starter Jose Quintana, tore through the lineup, striking out five of his first seven batters. The only mistake he made was an infield single from Nelson Cruz.

This put Wade Miley in a tough position trying to equal the White Sox number two ace, but he fared well enough to keep the M’s in contention. He did allow a single in the first, which was nixed by an inning-ending double play, but did allow a line-drive solo blast to Brett Lawrie in the second, had the team fighting from behind, now down 1-0.

The homer off the bat of Lawrie wasn’t surprising. With the shot he upped his batting average to .625 in his career versus Miley, also notching his second home run against the Mariner starter.
It wasn’t until the fourth that life would be renewed to Safeco Field. Having struggled the first time through the lineup- they hit 2-9 and the streak extended itself to 2-11- before Robinson Cano changed that slump. Since the start of the second half Cano hadn’t mustered a extra-base-hit, but with one swing of the bat (on the very first pitch he saw in his second at bat) he took Quintana yard to tie the ball game. The dinger would be Cano’s twenty-second of the year, surpassing his total from last year.

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The game then carried on with neither team capitalizing on chances to bring home runners from scoring position. The White Sox had a chance in the fifth to retake the lead, putting together a two-out rally, only to see men stranded at first and second. The Mariners had even more chances spoiled as they had multiple runners on base in the fifth and sixth.

Daniel Robertson and Shawn O’Malley’s single and walk respectively, had the Mariners rolling with just one out only to see their chances dwindle away when Franklin Gutierrez or Cruz couldn’t capitalize on their opportunity to bring a man home from scoring position.

In the sixth the M’s loaded the bases with a two-out rally of their own. Unfortunately it amounted to nothing once more, this time with Quintana getting Robertson- who had been 2-2 before this at-bat- to pop up and end the frame. This failed effort would come back to bite the M’s in the next inning.

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A solo home run courtesy from Melky Cabrera extended the Sox lead to 3-1, but Miley was unwinding, and it would cost the M’s further. Allowing a single and walk later in the inning before being taken out would end Miley’s night, but not his line. Tom Wilhelmsen would replace the M’s starter and give up a single that scored two more runs, adding to Miley’s total, which was now three earned runs.

In the ninth, the bullpen, more specifically, Joaquin Benoit, would let the team down. Surrendering three runs on two hits in just two-thirds of an inning, including a major-league two-run home run to the lethal, Todd Frazier (his 27h on the campaign). His faulty showing put the Mariners in 6-1 hole that seemed insurmountable, which it was. The game would end by that score.

Next: Wade Miley is on Thin Ice in Seattle

With the series split 1-1 heading into tomorrow’s  game three closer, the Mariners will hope to boost the spirits of the Seattle faithful by earning a series win. It would also give The King, Felix Hernandez, a huge boost as he is returning from injury after a prolonged stint on the DL.