Mariners Win 3 Consecutive Road Series to End April

The Mariners ended the month of April with another series win in Cleveland, taking 3 of 4 games from the Tribe, thanks to an offensive explosion on the weekend.

They followed up their 12-4 rout on Saturday with another convincing 10-4 win and finished their ten-game road trip with a 7-3 record. After taking 2 of 3 from both the Texas Rangers and the Chicago White Sox, their strong series in Cleveland puts them at 16-11 to begin May.

The Mariners have now won three series in a row, but the team found a different way to win against each opponent. Clutch hitting late in the game propelled the M’s over the Rangers the first two games of the series, yet solid pitching helped the M’s take their series in Chicago. The red-hot bats helped take 3 of 4 in Cleveland, but the bullpen also helped silence any rallies from the Tribe.

The Mariners began their road trip in Texas on April 20. Coming off of a home series loss to Houston, they faced a 2-1 deficit against Texas in the 8th inning until Mitch Haniger hit a clutch solo shot to tie the game at 2-2. A 4-run 9th inning led to a 6-2 win in game one. The second game was similar, although James Paxton’s rough outing forced the Mariners to play catch-up until a 5-run seventh inning blew the game open and gave the M’s a 9-6 lead; they would go on to win the game 9-7.

The clutch hitting in the later innings of the ballgame helped secure a series win in Texas before traveling to Chicago for a three-game stint with the White Sox.

After a loss in the final game of the series with Texas, the Mariners began their series in Chicago with a mediocre performance, losing 10-4. Pitcher Mike Leake dished up seven consecutive hits in the first inning, allowing five runs to cross, and the game felt out of reach for the rest of the night. Despite the troubles of game one, pitcher Marco Gonzales showed flashes of brilliance in game two as the Mariners were able to grind out a 1-0 road win. 

Pitching helped the Mariners win 2 of 3 in Chicago, allowing just three runs in the final two games of the series.

Marco went six innings against the Sox, allowing just five hits and striking out eight in the 1-0 win. Felix pitched the final game of the series, and although he allowed a two-run HR in the first inning, he settled down and only allowed three runs in six full innings. For the second straight game, the Mariners bullpen held the Sox scoreless and secured the series with a 4-3 win.

Seattle entered Cleveland with the challenge of defeating the toughest home team in baseball since last year’s All-Star break. After handing the Tribe their first home series loss since last year’s break, the M’s red-hot bats led the way. The Mariners scored 32 runs throughout the 4-game series, 22 of those runs occurring in the final two games.

M’s fans witnessed consecutive four-HR games on the weekend, a 2-HR game for Ryon Healy on Sunday, and Robinson Cano’s 100th career HR in a Mariners uniform.

Apart from the offense, however, the Indians were unable to score runs in the 8th or 9th inning of any of their four games against Seattle, which shows the dominance of our bullpen late in games. Juan Nicasio pitched very important 8th innings on Thursday and Sunday, giving up just a hit in 2 innings pitched, which led to Edwin Diaz shutting the door on the Tribe.

The Mariners are now in second place in the AL West at 16-11, just two games back of the Houston Astros. The M’s will begin May with an important homestand against the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels.

Next: 5 Most Valuable Mariners Trade Assets

Felix Hernandez will take the mound versus Andrew Triggs on Tuesday night at Safeco Field. First pitch is at 7:10.