Oh, how the Mariners missed Dee Gordon, and how they've relished Wade LeBlanc
Dee Gordon ran well to his left, aggressively calling for the infield pop fly, no matter that first baseman Ryon Healy had hardly to budge his feet and was already under it before he gestured in jest for Gordon to go worry about his own position.
Gordon just wanted to make his presence known from the first play, apparently.
“I try to wave him off and all he says is ‘Man, I got gold on my glove,’” Healy laughed.
Gordon followed with a stand-up, leadoff triple in the bottom of the first inning in his first at-bat off of the disabled list and later the game ended with a 6-1 Seattle Mariners victory over the Texas Rangers on Friday at Safeco Field.
There were certainly plenty of other contributions, such as that from left-handed starter Wade LeBlanc, a hitting-a-groove Nelson Cruz and Jean Segura. But it seemed like little coincidence that the Mariners ran away in this one – finally avoiding their dramatic games of the past week – with Gordon back in the lineup for the first time since heading to the disabled list.
“There’s no easy wins in this league,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “But our offense really did a nice job tonight. Just consistent pressure. Really nice to have Dee Gordon back … just get the ball rolling energy-wise in the dugout.”
The Mariners (34-22) ended their two-game losing skid to even the four-game series with the Rangers before they embark on a three-game home series against the Tampa Bay Rays. They remain a game back of the Houston Astros (36-22) in the American League West.
OK, back to the triple.
Gordon in his first at-bat off of the 10-day disabled list with a fractured right big toe had a stand-up triple on a line drive to left field (thanks to Joey Gallo’s failed try at a diving catch). Though his sprint speed on the play was pretty comparable to his fastest all season (see takeaways below).
He then scored on Jean Segura’s fly ball to shallow right field, sliding just underneath the tag at home plate despite being clearly beat by the throw.
The way Gordon explained the play afterward, it deserves full description.
So here it is:
“I was like, ‘Bro, what do you think I should do? What should I do?’” Gordon said, apparently having this conversation near third base with Scott Brosius on the shallow fly ball to right. “I was like, ‘Oh, no. What should you do?’
“Oh no, oh no.
“So I actually didn’t tag. I was off the base and he (right fielder Nomar Mazara) caught it flat-footed and I just kind of tapped it real quick and I was just going to deke and I was like, ‘He was flat-footed … so maybe I might get in there.’ And I was like, ‘all right.’
Apparently a conversation happening in about a four-second span.
“I literally went in there and I was like, ‘Bro, what should I do? What should I do?’” Gordon laughed. “That’s how it happened. Verbatim.”
Then the slide to the plate.
“I saw the catcher and I saw a lot of the plate. Usually if I want to slide, I want to slide feet first. But I saw the plate and I was like, ‘Oh, I might be in here really easy. And then he caught it and I was like … ‘Oh, snap.’ So I still seen the plate so I tried to slide my hand in there real quick.’”
Safe.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">¡El impacto de <a href="https://twitter.com/FlashGJr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FlashGJr</a> se sintió de inmediato al anotar nuestra primera carrera!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LosMarineros?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LosMarineros</a> 1, Rangers 1<br>Sintoniza: <a href="https://t.co/63aonWcNSi">https://t.co/63aonWcNSi</a> <a href="https://t.co/cYmit3IR67">pic.twitter.com/cYmit3IR67</a></p>— Marineros de Seattle (@LosMarineros) <a href="https://twitter.com/LosMarineros/status/1002380054331056129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“It’s Dee Gordon. It’s Flash Gordon,” Servais laughed. “Nothing surprises me with Dee Gordon. When it comes to speed he wants to challenge and show everybody he’s the fastest man in the world.”
What a way to set a tone for the game.
Segura had a night, with the sac fly and then hits in his next two at-bats. His double in the third inning preceded Cruz’s 10th home run of the season two batters later.
This is the Cruz that Servais seemed to challenge for the 10-game home stand, saying late last week that they needed him to get in a groove. Cruz has now hit safely in seven of his past eight games with three home runs.
The Mariners gave themselves a 5-1 cushion in the fifth inning on Cruz’s sacrifice fly, coming an inning after Nomar Mazara’s missile of a home run off of LeBlanc in the fourth inning.
Cruz is batting .355 with three home runs and nine RBI his past eight games.
“I think we can finally say he’s in a nice little groove driving the ball and getting the ball in the air,” Servais said. “He can carry your offense for an extended period of time.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">Tenemos que ver este señor <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Jonronazo?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Jonronazo</a> de Nelson Cruz… ¡Hasta la órbita más lejana! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LosMarineros?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LosMarineros</a><a href="https://t.co/PENhZcbgDv">https://t.co/PENhZcbgDv</a> <a href="https://t.co/ah43Wz5eoN">pic.twitter.com/ah43Wz5eoN</a></p>— Marineros de Seattle (@LosMarineros) <a href="https://twitter.com/LosMarineros/status/1002392456959287296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
How about LeBlanc?
Just another day at the office – except entering the day feeling physically drained with some type of flu-bug.
“It started a couple of nights ago and it carried through to today,” LeBlanc said. “I just hadn’t been able to put any food or anything in my body so I think I ran out of steam a little faster than normal.”
LeBlanc allowed just the one run in five innings with four strikeouts and four hits allowed.
It wasn’t always smooth for the left-hander, but plenty effective, leaving after 84 pitches (second-most he’s thrown in an outing this season since converting to starter from the bullpen).
LeBlanc stranded the bases loaded in the fourth inning after Mazara’s home run, settling down after a visit from pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. and a double from Jurickson Profar to strike out Joey Gallo on a cutter down and out of the zone before two other weakly hit outs.
An inning later, and he was – finally – in line for his first win in his sixth start. Despite all his LeBlanking of opposing lineups, he didn’t have a decision to show for it.
That was one no-decision off of a club record previously held by Joel Pineiro, who went six consecutive starts without a decision.
“It’s cool to see a number in that column,” LeBlanc said. “But at the end of the day we’re 5-1 in my games so I think that’s the more important stat.”
Now? LeBlanc has a 1.72 ERA in six starts since joining the starting rotation once the calendar turned to May (taking the place of disabled-list bound Erasmo Ramirez, who has a 10.24 ERA after two starts).
For reference, James Paxton is a likely candidate for American League pitcher of the month and he had a 1.67 ERA in six May starts.
LeBlanc’s May ERA is the sixth-lowest for the month in club history, with Paxton’s being the fifth-lowest.
Servais was asked what about LeBlanc leads him to believe these performances are sustainable.
“There’s a guy named Jamie Moyer who pitched for a long time,” Servais said. “And people didn’t think that was sustainable either because he didn’t blow you away with his fastball. It’s a feel to pitch. Back and forth and reading the bat. There will be nights it will be real good and nights it will be a little tough. He doesn’t have the Paxton-type stuff, obviously, but his know-how and feel to pitch – he’s got moxie is what he’s got. And I think that’s what Jamie Moyer had.”Some takeaways:
Spee Dee (still)
Fractured toe – so?
Dee Gordon’s first at-bat off of the disabled list went for a stand-up triple (thanks to Joey Gallo’s failed try at a diving catch in left field).
He tested the toe again on Jean Segura’s ensuing shallow fly ball to right field. The throw was well on time, but Gordon dived to the outside part of the plate and got his left hand over before the tag for the first run of the game.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">And here's how far away Dee Gordon was from home plate by the time Chirinos had the ball: <a href="https://t.co/BfQJxSGxVr">pic.twitter.com/BfQJxSGxVr</a></p>— TJ Cotterill (@TJCotterill) <a href="https://twitter.com/TJCotterill/status/1002384128442957825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
But how fast was he?
According to MLB’s Statcast, Gordon’s sprint speed on the triple was 29.1 feet per second and he hit 29.0 feet per second running home on the sacrifice fly. Those were very close to his average sprint speed of 29.3 this season.
To recap:
Gordon on triple: 29.1 feet per second.
Gordon to home: 29.0 feet per second.
Gordon’s season average: 29.3 feet per second.
Lefty love
April showers bring May … dominant left-handed starters in the Mariners starting rotation. Each had six starts.
One left-hander: 1.67 ERA in May.
Second left-hander: 1.72 ERA in May
Third left-hander: 2.30 ERA in May.
The first is James Paxton, the second is Wade LeBlanc and the third is Marco Gonzales.
The three did it so different, though. Paxton was so overpowering on his way to a career-high 16 strikeouts against the Athletics and then a no-hitter against the Blue Jays.
LeBlanc’s fastball traveled about 10 mph slower than Paxton’s but he went from long-reliever in the bullpen and maybe just a spot starter to a rock in the Mariners’ rotation – still perplexing all doubters who keep expecting a regression to the mean.
And Gonzales found a go-to curveball to go with his low-90s fastball and an added cutter.
Play of the game
Most players wouldn’t have even attempted to take off from third base on that shallow fly ball to right field.
Most players aren’t Flash Gordon.
His dive saved him at the plate when he was beat on the throw home, getting his left hand onto the plate just safe before catcher Robinson Chirinos applied the tag.
Gordon had just hit a stand-up triple to lead off the bottom of the first inning and that score on Jean Segura’s sacrifice fly set the tone for the rest of the game.
Top hitter
Nelson Cruz is catching fire.
He’s not hit in seven of his past eight games, batting .355 since the start of this 10-game homestand with three home runs. He knocked a two-run home run in the third inning but he drove a ball to the warning track in center field in the first inning, finishing 2-for-3 with three RBI.
“I feel healthy and that’s different,” Cruz said. “I’m healthy and the more that I play I feel the timing is better and I can take borderline pitches and do damage with pitches that are out of the strike zone.”
But Jean Segura should be mentioned in there. He went 2-for-2 with three runs scored and a double. His 42 hits in May are 11th-most in Mariners history for the month, and that was despite missing two games with a head injury. He’s hit .560 his past six games and leads the majors with 25 multi-hit games.
Top pitcher
Wade LeBlanc capped his stellar May with a 1.72 ERA in six starts, despite entering the day feeling sick, he said, which is why he was pulled after the fifth inning.
He also earned his first win after five consecutive starts with a no decision. He allowed one run in five innings with four strikeouts, but maybe most important were just the two walks after the Mariners tied a season high with eight walked batters in Tuesday’s loss and seven walked batters in Wednesday’s loss.
Quotable
The Mariners were one of the hottest teams in baseball since the end of April, improving to 23-12 since April 24. No team has won more games than the Mariners since then.
“Hopefully we stay healthy and we can do the job – and go to the playoffs,” Nelson Cruz said.
TJ Cotterill: 253-597-8677
Twitter: @TJCotterill
This story was originally published May 31, 2018 at 10:07 PM with the headline "Oh, how the Mariners missed Dee Gordon, and how they've relished Wade LeBlanc."