Mariners rise to challenge

In a season of disappointments, the Seattle Mariners have faced two teams at Safeco Field – the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox – who led their respective leagues in victories.

Against those powerhouses, the Mariners took two of three games from each team, including a 5-3 victory Sunday against Boston in front of a crowd of 43,777.

Back in June, the Mariners beat the Phillies, 4-2, and, 2-0.

Then, in less than 24 hours of an August weekend, Seattle took two from Boston, 5-4 and 5-3.

How?

“There are teams you play, like the Red Sox and Phillies, where you know any mistake can beat you,” said first baseman Mike Carp. “We had a lot of fans for both those series – and 40,000 a night has a way of locking you in.

“It’s not supposed to be that way, but it happens. It’s not that you’re trying harder, but there’s adrenaline …”

And realistically, playing – oh, say Cleveland – on a Wednesday? Just not the same.

With Boston knuckleball pitcher Tim Wakefield hunting his 200th career victory, the Mariners went with rookie left-hander Charlie Furbush, and the 25-year-old allowed the Red Sox one run in seven innings.

While he was shutting the Sox down, the Mariners had a small-ball rally that produced three third-inning runs that gave Furbush breathing room.

“Against all the best teams, everyone wants to win,” reliever Jeff Gray said. “You play the Red Sox, Yankees, Phillies, you’re playing the best teams – and the fans come out to remind you.

“You do the little things that can beat them, you pitch well, you can beat them. That’s what we did. We were playing really well when the Phillies came in, we played really well this weekend.”

Like in the third inning.

Casper Wells, who would later hit a solo home run, walked, stole second base and took third on a throwing error with no one out. Jack Wilson singled him home.

Rookie Kyle Seager singled, and Ichiro Suzuki loaded the bases when he was safe on an error. Gutierrez singled home a second run, Carp a third, extending his hitting streak to 14 consecutive games.

“I think you’re talking about two different teams if you’re looking at us when we faced the Phillies and us now,” manager Eric Wedge said. “We’re a young team and you’re going to have highs and lows.

“But we played good baseball against good teams both times, and you have to. I said earlier this year, we had to learn to beat teams, and this series was a good example of what I meant.

“The Red Sox don’t lose – you have to beat them. You get big crowds here at Safeco Field, you get a fever pitch.”

By the time Wedge lifted Furbush after seven innings, the Mariners were ahead 5-1 with six outs to get.

Gray got three of those, though he gave up a two-run homer to Kevin Youkilis.

For the second game in a row, the ninth inning was anti-climatic – Brandon League came in to close both wins and retired each of the six Red Sox batters he faced. That’s 29 saves for the first-year closer.

One against Philadelphia. Two against Boston.

The Mariners pitched well against the Phillies, pitched well and hit better against Boston.

“We had fun,” Jack Wilson said. “It started with Furbush. He just lifts his leg and gets on with it, puts every ounce of his 149 pounds behind each pitch.”

Wilson made one of three marvelous defensive plays behind Furbush, diving to catch a shot headed toward the outfield to steal a hit from Dustin Pedroia. Ichiro made a fine running catch in the sixth and Seager made a diving catch of a line drive toward the left field line.

Three outs, the equivalent of an inning pitched.

Wedge was as happy about Furbush as he was about Wells, who came over in the same trade from Detroit.

“Wells has raw power, a short swing and he doesn’t give at-bats away,” Wedge said. “As a team, we’re having better at-bats, and he’s an example. He’s prepared to hit every pitch, and if he falls behind in the count, he sticks his nose in and makes you get him out.”

Boston manager Terry Francona said there was no secret to the Mariners’ wins.

“They scored a few runs, then got a couple of tack-on runs,” he said. “That’s a formula we talk about all the time. You score three and tack on, and that’s what they did, you put the other team in too big a hole to come back.”

Boston and Philadelphia may meet in October in the World Series, and if they do the Mariners will be watching from home. But they’ll be able to tell themselves that, given the chance, they beat both those teams.

larry.larue@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/mariners/