Where have these Mariners been? Fast start, shut-down LeBlanc combine for needed win over A’s

Five runs in the top of the first inning and more to come to begin a critical four-game series in the Coliseum?

That’s one way to start it – one very needed way to start this for the Mariners.

It’s one game with three to go in Oakland, but the Mariners looked little like the atrocity that was their two-game stay in San Diego to lose both games against the team with the least wins in the National League.

So after being shut down by rookie starters in back-to-back games there, the Mariners then jumped on Oakland’s 25-year-old right-hander Frankie Montas on their way to a 7-1 victory on Thursday in front of 10,844

Seattle (75-59) still has plenty of hill to climb after cutting Oakland’s lead for the American League’s final wild card to 4½ games with one day remaining before September’s final stretch – and six more games remaining against Oakland.

Robinson Cano wants them all.

“It’s the time of the year when you got to be selfish,” he told Root Sports afterward. “You want to win every game and if you go out and win every game, that’s going to be best for us.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">After tonight&#39;s big win in Oakland <a href="https://twitter.com/RealBradAdam?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RealBradAdam</a> spoke with Robinson Cano about the win. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TrueToTheBlue?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TrueToTheBlue</a> <a href="https://t.co/EDvbVdH79W">pic.twitter.com/EDvbVdH79W</a></p>&mdash; ROOT SPORTS™ | NW (@ROOTSPORTS_NW) <a href="https://twitter.com/ROOTSPORTS_NW/status/1035395497882607616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 31, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

They might need every game.

But on this night they needed their bats to come to life. They got it.

And they needed Wade LeBlanc to solidify this starting rotation. He did it.

LeBlanc tossed seven scoreless innings – yes, with an 86-mph fastball – creating weak contact and confounding opposing hitters like he’s done for much of this season since converting from the bullpen to the rotation in May.

“We were able to give him a few extra days off before his last start and I think he responded well to that,” Mariners manager Scott Servais told reporters afterward. “He was really good tonight. Had the curveball going the second time around, and the changeup was very effective and a lot of soft outs in the air, which is key to get the sting out of the bat. Great way to start the series.”

The 33-year-old allowed just three hits, walked three and struck out four on 98 pitches. More on him in a bit.

The Mariners caught a break in the first inning when A’s dynamic defensive third baseman Matt Chapman threw a ball into the dirt across the diamond on what otherwise should have been a routine groundout off Mike Zunino’s bat.

The Mariners already had a 2-0 lead until that pushed it to 4-0 and allowed Zunino to reach second base.

Dee Gordon then followed with an infield single on another ground ball to Chapman (by Fangraphs defensive ratings, he’s the best defensive third baseman in baseball), but Chapman barely bobbled it on the exchange out of his glove and Gordon’s speed got him to the bag safely – another Mariner run.

A’s and former Mariners manager Bob Melvin told reporters that his team looked fatigued coming off losing two of three games in Houston.

“That last series took a lot out of us,” Melvin said. “That’s no excuse, but I saw a little (fatigue) today. Just one of those tough nights.”

That brought Mitch Haniger back to the plate for the second time in the inning after he led off with a single (but was later out in a rundown between third and home when Montas snared a 116-mph comebacker from Nelson Cruz).

Haniger later hit his MLB-leading 40th hit this month with a home run over the left-field wall (his 23rd of the season). Denard Span scored the Mariners’ other run when he lead off the second inning with a triple and scored on Robinson Cano’s single.

“It all starts with Mitch Haniger at the top of our lineup,” Servais said. “He’s really been outstanding. Really rejuvinated his season when we put him in that leadoff spot. It’s been great to see.”

Big win.

“Yep,” Servais said. “Tomorrow is a big game, too. Looking forward to getting back out here.

“Our guys coming into the game, we know where we’re at. We didn’t play good baseball the past few days. But it’s baseball. These things turn.”

Let’s get to it. Three takeaways:

Needed bats

The Mariners were lifeless offensively over those two games in San Diego. And if not for a ninth-inning rally to set up and extra-innings win in Arizona this could be a four-game losing streak they had entering Thursday.

Just to set this up, here’s how the Mariners’ offense ranked in the American League in some offensive categories entering Thursday:

Runs scored: 12th (out of 15 clubs)

Walks: 15th

Batting average: fifth (.256)

On-base percentage: 11th (.314)

Strikeouts: second (only Indians had fewer).

And with a lineup that regularly features Jean Segura, Dee Gordon and Ryon Healy, the Mariners are never going to lead the league in walks.

But that’s been their curse when the offense is struggling because they’re so aggressive that they don’t get on base via walk.

Except Kyle Seager drew a big one in the first inning on a 3-2 pitch with two outs. That loaded the bases for Healy, who singled through the left side for the Mariners’ first run.

Then Ben Gamel took a fastball off the plate away in a 3-2 count to draw a bases-loaded walk for another run.

Next thing you know, the Mariners led the first inning with a 5-0 lead.

“The walks — Seags didn’t chase a 3-2 pitch, Ben Gamel didn’t chase a 3-2 pitch,” Servais said. “That was great to see. We haven’t done a lot of that. Too often guys have tried to get the big hit instead of letting the game come to them. Tonight we let it come to us and we get good results.”

That’s the most runs the Mariners have scored in one of Wade LeBlanc’s starts since June 27 in a win against the Orioles.

Needed lefty

That’s back-to-back early-season-LeBlanc starts from the lefty.

That’s the kind of outing LeBlanc had put together for much of his time since entering the Mariners’ rotation in May and proceeded to post a 3.34 ERA through 16 starts entering this month.

Then some clunkers against the Astros and Dodgers before one run in six innings last week against the Diamondbacks and then seven scoreless in this one.

LeBlanc did this on 98 pitches and allowed just three hits with four strikeouts. That’s the first time he’s pitched at least seven innings since July 20 against the White Sox.

“Nobody is going to lie and say they aren’t aware that Oakland is ahead of us in the wild-card chase,” LeBlanc said. “So you want to go out and beat these guys, but you want to beat everybody. So keep your head down, make pitches and let the offense do their job.”

No ball hit against LeBlanc (not even the outs) that had an exit velocity over 100 mph. So a lot of weak contact. Compare that to the Mariners, who had eight hits over 100 mph, and one at 99.9 from Kyle Seager.

That comes as lefty James Paxton still hasn’t pitched for most of this month because of a bruised forearm and other fellow lefty Marco Gonzales went to the disabled list earlier this week with a neck strain.

Jean Jean?

Jean Segura was originally in the Mariners’ lineup for this series opener, until he was a late scratch with a lower leg injury.

Segura fouled a pitch off of his shin that forced him out of Wednesday’s game against the Padres. He had X-rays that came back negative afterward, Servais said, but he did say Segura would have a severe bruise.

Servais didn’t seem so pleased with that, not having his All-Star shortstop to start a critical series, when talking with reporters after Thursday’s win.

“Jean pulled himself out today,” Servais said. “He got a bruise on his shin.”

So instead of Segura at shortstop, it was Dee Gordon, with Robinson Cano taking his spot at second and Ryon Healy entering the lineup at first base.

Healy went from not in the lineup, to kick-starting it.

Kyle Seager drew a walk to load the bases in front of Healy and the former A’s third and first baseman singled to left field with two outs to plate the Mariners’ first run.

Healy went 2-for-4 against his former team and raised his season batting average to .246.

Play of the game

Matt Chapman is maybe the best defensive player in baseball manning the A’s hot corner.

But on what should have been a routine ground ball hit his way from Mike Zunino, Chapman threw it in the dirt to first base and it got past, allowing two runs to score with the bases loaded in the first inning.

An out would have ended the inning, with the Mariners leading 2-0. But that made it 4-0, Mariners, and Dee Gordon’s infield single (also hit at Chapman) made it 5-0.

Top hitter

Mitch Haniger had two more hits, including a home run, to push his total to 40 hits for the month of August. No other player in the major leagues has more hits this month.

Haniger started it with a leadoff single in the top of the first before launching a solo home run 380 feet over the left-field wall in the top of the fourth inning. He finished 2-for-5. He’s batting .351 this month.

“He’s a real threat at the top of the lineup,” Servais said. “And the quality of the at-bats has been really consistent and great to see.”

It can’t go unnoted – Robinson Cano’s double in the first inning was the 526th double of his career. That passed Ted Williams (on what would have been the late Williams’ 100th birthday) on the all-time major-league list for career doubles. Cano is now tied for 44th all-time with Dave Parker.

Top pitcher

He’s the player of the game, too. Wade LeBlanc allowed just three hits against this hot Athletics offense in seven scoreless innings.

LeBlanc lowered his season ERA to 3.71. He allowed three walks and struck out four on 98 pitches.

Quotable

This story was originally published August 30, 2018 at 9:47 PM.