Seattle Mariners: 3 Things We Learned Today In Seattle

The Mariners jump started their offensive today. Facing their former teammate, Doug Fister, they knocked in seven runs. The win ensured that the M’s would not get swept this series. The Mariners haven’t been swept since their divisional bout versus the Angels August 29th-31st.

The Mariners have ended their second most important series of the year on a high note. The offense explosion was just what the doctor ordered to heal the sluggish M’s. Before today’s seven run outburst, the M’s had scored one run in their last twenty innings.

Ariel Miranda continued to shine. He earned his fourth consecutive win. Seth Smith was in a smashing mood. He hit two home runs. And since hitting his thirty-third home run, Robinson Cano has gone ice cold.

Here are the three things we learned today in the 7-2 beat down.

Miranda Pitching Like A Veteran

Ariel Miranda has done it again. That’s now four wins in a row. Three straight quality starts. Today, He stepped us his game in couple ways. Here’s how.

Miranda made two mistakes all game. Two solo shots. Other than that, he was masterful once

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again. At one point he retired eleven straight batters, that was, until his second home run he allowed.

He also managed to strike out at career-high eight batters. Part of what allowed him to strike out so many batters was his ability to get ahead of the count. Miranda threw first pitch strikes to eighteen of twenty-four batters. That’s 75% of the time.

It is almost a sure thing that Miranda will come out hot these days. In his last three starts, Miranda has an ERA of 0.95 over nineteen innings. He may be new to the MLB but he’s pitching like the Cuban veteran many know him as.

Cano Doesn’t Want To Set Home Run Mark

Cano’s offensive absence has had a direct impact on the Mariners success. Yesterday, he had a huge opportunity to bring the Mariners to within two games of the wild card. He couldn’t get a hit all game, including with a runner in scoring position with one out in the eighth inning, down one.

Today Cano continued to freeze at the plate. He went 0-4 with a strikeout. His last hit came on Wednesday in the top of the eighth versus the Los Angeles Angels. His extended streak over the past five games looks more bleak. He is 1-21 in that span.

This is definitely not the Cano, that I just recently praised, claiming he was earning his money. At the moment, he definitely is not.

Seth Smith Adds To His Short Multi-HR List

Smith’s last home run was a grand slam. Today, he didn’t hit a grand salami, but he did hit two home runs, collecting four RBI off of them. It was Smith’s second multi-home run game as a Mariner, and his second of the year. He now has eight multi-homer games in ten years.

The utility outfielder did more than just add to his multi-home run list though. He set a new RBI mark in a season, notching four more runs batted in today. That gives him an even sixty on the season. He is also two home runs shy of setting a personal best there as well.

Bonus Knowledge

Before Tom Wilhelmsen gave up a double in the eighth inning to allow the Astros to score one run, the bullpen had been red hot. Collectively, the pen had not surrendered a run since the seventh inning of September 12th facing the Angels. In that instant, Nick Vincent was bested by Cliff Pennington who singled in a run.

Next: What We Learned Last Night

It had been 12.2 innings pitched since the bullpen had given up one run. This gave the bullpen an ERA of 0.71 over that stretch. They also gave up just four hits over that time.

The run may be over, but the bullpen is still in pretty good shape. And it doesn’t seem they’ll need to work that much the way the starters are pitching. Maybe just when The King takes the mound.