Healy heroics, lock-down bullpen and Mariners avoid series sweep
Ryon Healy watched as the ball soared into the high-altitude marine layer. He trotted out of the batter’s box, observed the ball land into the upper deck past left field and pointed at the Seattle Mariners dugout behind him as he turned into his home-run trot.
Just another Mariners comeback victory.
Healy’s known for streaky stretches in his young career after playing his first full major-league season last year with the Oakland Athletics. This was the kind of streak the Mariners much enjoy.
The first baseman tied a career-high with five RBI, including that go-ahead three-run home run in the sixth inning and the Mariners’ bullpen shut the Colorado Rockies down after that in a 6-4 win to stave off a potential three-game sweep.
Mariners manager Scott Servais has spoken with Healy about it, so has hitting coach Edgar Martinez and even teammates, just how to better mentally manage the ups and downs that come of major league baseball.
“Ryon is an emotional guy,” Servais said. “That’s why we all love him. He’s into the game. Riding those highs and lows throughout the long season takes a lot of energy away from you, so we’re trying to keep him more on an even keel. That’s the biggest thing. His teammates know how valuable he is to our team and we want to keep him in a good spot.”
And Healy, for those ups and downs, has been mostly up. He’s hit 18 home runs now with a week of games remaining before the All-Star break. Of Mariners’ all-time first basemen, only Russell Branyan’s 22 he hit in 2009 is more than what Healy’s hit, which Alvin Davis (1984), Tino Martinez (1995) and Richie Sexson (2005) also accomplished.
And, remember, the University of Oregon graduate is still 26 years old.
“Man, I’m still learning a lot,” Healy said. “I can definitely tell you that. Teams are making big adjustments to me and the more experience they get against me and the more I get against them, it’s more of a chess game. You are just trying to stay ahead of the curve and do your homework and be prepared as possible.”
The Mariners (57-34) end their homestand on a high note after entering with three losses in their previous four games. After sweeping the Royals and taking the Angels’ series, they head for a six-game road trip with wins in l0 of their past 13 games.
Edwin Diaz finished off the ninth inning for his MLB-leading 35th save of the season before later learning he’s heading to the MLB All-Star Game on July 17 for the first time in his career.
Diaz and Colome combined to strike out the Rockies’ final six batters.
Colome looked maybe the best he has as a Mariner, despite entering the game not knowing he’s be cleared because of an issue with his neck. Servais said they didn’t know if Colome would be available until the third inning, and Colome said he’s been dealing with the neck soreness for a couple of weeks.
“It was sore but sometimes you have to play sore,” Colome said. “Somebody worked on my neck, I took some pills and I didn’t know if I could do it or not but I knew I had to try. They said, ‘You know your body and we believe in you.’ And I told them I wanted to do it.”
It should be noted, that Colome has since moved into a setup role for the Mariners, but he entered the day tied for the 10th-most saves in the American League dating to his time with the Rays to start the year. Combined, Diaz and Colome have saved 47 games this year.
Let’s restart.
And start with Wade LeBlanc.
Another first-inning home run. Again courtesy of maybe one of the most hairy-faced men in America. Charlie Blackmon hit a solo shot off of LeBlanc just like he did two days earlier against Felix Hernandez in the top of the first inning.
Then the Mariners loaded the bases in the bottom of the first inning with one out. Kyle Seager scored Dee Gordon with a sacrifice fly and Healy smoked a line drive up the middle for a two-run double for a 3-1 Mariners lead.
Just not much after that.
Denard Span hit a leadoff triple in the fourth inning and Gordon hit a leadoff double and reached third on a panicked throwing error in the seventh. The Mariners didn’t score either of them, despite having six outs, collectively, to get them in.
That almost cost the Mariners.
The Rockies pulled to within a run in the top of the fifth inning on Carlos Gonzales’ solo home run before Story got a two-run shot off LeBlanc to carry just enough over the right-field wall for a 4-3 Rockies lead in the sixth.
Time for a Healy homer.
After that two-run double earlier, Healy missed a 2-0 slider in the sixth inning, but he didn’t take the one he saw one pitch later, launching it into the third deck over left field for a go-ahead three-run homer to give Seattle a 6-4 lead.
“The confidence they show in me definitely helps me build myself up when I beat myself down,” Healy said. “They understand this game more than I do the way this game has the ebbs and flows and I’m learning a ton as it goes. The coaching staff has done a great job staying positive for me.
“It’s the entire clubhouse. That’s why we’re so good. Everyone genuinely cares about one another.”
Zunino timetable
Zunino’s been limping with a walking boot on his left ankle after suffering a bone bruise while rounding second base in Wednesday’s loss to the Angels.
Servais said they expected his recovery to take between 2-3 weeks after putting Zunino on the 10-day disabled list (which just means he can be activated after 10 days, but can stay on the DL longer).
But Servais said on Sunday that Zunino has seemed to be recovering faster than they thought and he thinks Zunino will be ready well before the three weeks, but still likely not until after the All-Star break.
Zunino will stay in Seattle while the team travels to Los Angeles and Colorado this week.
On tap
The Mariners have Monday off before beginning a three-game road series against the Angels on Tuesday.
Right-hander Mike Leake (8-5, 4.11 ERA) will start for the Mariners against right-hander Garrett Richards in the 7:07 p.m. Tuesday game, which will broadcast on Root Sports and 710-AM radio.
This story was originally published July 8, 2018 at 3:38 PM.