ARLINGTON, Texas – The 50th win of their season hung in front of the Seattle Mariners each of the previous three days of this six-game trip, and they couldn’t reel it in.
“We had games get away in Anaheim, the game got away in the ninth inning last night,” Mike Carp said. “Jason Vargas got us deep into this one, we got a lead and when Brandon League came in, he wasn’t going to be denied.”
Pretty good summary of a 4-3 win over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, when the Mariners had the chance to blow it open – and couldn’t – but managed to win a close one.
League has had problems in the ninth inning since the All-Star break, those problems being he hasn’t gotten the chance to pitch in them.
Throughout that 17-game losing streak in July, he never had a save opportunity, and they’ve been far between and few since. He closed three games at home against Tampa Bay and Oakland.
Nothing since.
Getting a save opportunity to their closer against Texas was no easy task, either. The Mariners got a run on an error while wasting runners in the second inning, then jumped ahead when Carp hit a two-run home run in the third inning, extending his hitting streak to 11 games.
“We hit a lot of balls hard, got a lot of hits tonight,” manager Eric Wedge said. “We left guys on base, yes, but you’re seeing better at-bats than you did a couple of weeks ago.”
Up 3-0, Vargas was intent on keeping the ball down, moving his pitches in and out to keep the Rangers from leaning over the plate.
Despite a 103-degree temperature at game time, Vargas insisted he was cool and fresh throughout seven tough innings as he won for the first time since July 1.
“I pitched in Florida, so I know how to handle the heat,” he said. “I made a point of hydrating all three days we were here so I wouldn’t have to try to catch up tonight.”
That took care of the elements. What took care of the Rangers?
“I stayed down, and that made my change-up and cutter much better,” Vargas said. “This team is the best, offensively – it can hit home runs, steal bases, hit doubles. It seems like they’re always in scoring position.”
Even when they’re standing at home plate.
Josh Hamilton hit a solo home run in the fourth inning, then Ian Kinsler – who scored the winning run Tuesday – tied the game with a two-run homer in the fifth.
“I threw Hamilton a change and he was sitting on it,” Vargas said. “Kinsler was a fastball up and in. I thought it was a good pitch.”
Still tied in the seventh inning, the Mariners scored when Carp and Franklin Gutierrez singled, and Casper Wells singled Carp home.
A one-run lead in Texas? The Mariners had been there, lost that.
Not this night.
Vargas labored through the seventh inning, throwing the last of his 121 pitches.
Veteran Jamey Wright took the eighth inning – faced the meat of the Texas lineup – and held serve.
The ninth belonged to League.
“You could see in his eyes it was his game,” Carp said.
League laughed at that.
“I like to think they all are,” he said. “But yeah, we needed this one pretty badly. Did it mean more to me? Sure, it was my 27th save – one more than my 26th. We should have taken two of three here.”
They didn’t, and went 2-4 on the trip – with three of the losses coming by one run.
Wedge talked about the positives, such as another two-hit night for Gutierrez, who’s gone 12-for-34 to raise his average from .184 to .211.
“He’s coming around, and that’s big for him and for us,” Wedge said. “His sense of aggressiveness is back, and the last seven to 10 games, he’s really shown he’s found it again.”
And there’s an attitude he likes in the young Mariners.
“Unfortunately, it hasn’t produced many wins lately, but there’s a lot to be said of their approach,” Wedge said. “They’re fighting every game, every inning. Against two good teams on the road, they didn’t win them all but they stayed after it.”
And the wins seem to matter to them, whether it’s the 50th of the season or any other number. Take League’s response, for instance.
After getting Kinsler to ground out with the potential tying run at second base, League roared his approval and, when he met catcher Miguel Olivo, pounded a fist into his chest protector.
It was no love tap.
“He was pumped up,” Olivo said. “So was I.”
larry.larue@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/mariners
Today
The Mariners have the day off.
friday
Boston (John Lackey: 10-8, 6.14 ERA) at Seattle (Blake Beavan: 3-2, 2.83), 7:10 p.m., Root Sports, 710-AM
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