Mariners got away with three errors (in one inning) with three homers to rally past Orioles
The Seattle Mariners got away with a three-error inning that erased their early lead. Even when it had them staring briefly at more lost ground on the Oakland Athletics for that final playoff spot.
But against the Baltimore Orioles they could get away with that.
Especially when they would finish with three home runs, Nelson Cruz’s surprising, rumbling wheels and a late-inning lead for this dynamic Alex Colome-Edwin Diaz duo for a 5-2 Mariners win on Wednesday at Safeco Field to take the three-game series.
But Denard Span, who went 3-for-3 with a walk, a home run and two RBI, was just as impressed with the Mariners’ four walks as their three homers.
“We definitely needed that,” Span said. “Yesterday was a tough game and you drop some balls today to follow it up with that long fifth inning. Even though it was only a one-run lead it felt like we were down by three or four because of the mental mistakes.”
Diaz earned his major-league leading 53rd save, lifting him to a four-way tie with Trevor Hoffman (1998), Randy Myers (1993) and Mariano Rivera (2004) for fifth-most saves in a single-season in MLB history. He needs nine more to tie Francisco Rodriguez’s record.
But the Mariners (78-62) needed to sweep this series, against the team with the fewest wins in the majors. They certainly couldn’t afford back-to-back losses. And time will tell if two out of three is enough to keep the Mariners in this American League wild card race.
They will enter Thursday no closer to the Athletics than they were a week ago when they headed to Oakland, still 5½ games behind. And after that off day they get the top wild-card holder with three games against the New York Yankees.
But this game, finally, came with offense – it just took until staring at a 2-1 deficit after a three-error fifth inning to finally get it.
“We haven’t had a lot of games with three home runs. I like homers,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “It’s good to see guys driving the ball. They were on some stuff tonight off (Andrew Cashner) which is great.
“Off day tomorrow and we need to come back for what should be a fun series this weekend against the Yankees.”
Mitch Haniger extended his career-high hit streak to 17 games with a solo home run in the third inning.
But for the second consecutive night the Mariners, again, lost a 1-0 lead.
Robinson Cano, Jean Segura and Dee Gordon each had errors scored on them in the top of the fifth as part of the Mariners first three-error inning of the season.
The first blunder was first an error called on Segura before it was changed after the game and given to Cano at first base Segura’s throw after a ground ball his way was well to Cano’s right, but still in reach for the newly converted career second baseman.
But the ball got by and the Orioles tied the game with Cedric Mullins scoring from second.
Baltimore’s second run came on a legitimate Segura error, with a bouncing ground ball skipping off his glove into left field. And the Orioles got runners to the corners when Gordon, well into the right-field grass, slid for a ground ball but his throw to first pulled Cano off the bag. It would have been a tough play, but Gordon got an error.
That all brought Servais out of the Mariners dugout for a talk with the whole infield before Kyle Seager made an error-free play on an inning-ending groundout.
“There were some miscues that inning that should not have happened,” Servais said. “We need to play better defense behind Mike Leake. He deserved better in that inning.”
This all came with Mariners regular first baseman, Ryon Healy, getting a day off. He probably erases two of those errors.
Leake finished after six innings, allowing seven hits, two runs (neither earned) with four strikeouts and no walks on 96 pitches.
But there was life in the Mariners’ bats.
Cruz hit his 34th home run on a line drive over the center field wall and Denard Span made it back-to-back bottom-of-the-fifth jacks with his 11th homer – giving the Mariners a 3-2 lead.
That ended Orioles starter Andrew Cashner’s night at 100 pitches in those 4 2/3 innings.
And Span didn’t seem to mind batting between Cruz and Seager in the order. Although he didn’t get a jump hug from Seager like Seager gives Cruz after homers.
“That’s his best friend, supposedly, but I think I come a close second as Seager’s second best friend,” Span said. “And I’m knocking on the door trying to become his best friend. I think they kind of can feel I’m coming in between their relationship.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Well, they have the home runs down. <a href="https://t.co/ryCJ3Hs45y">pic.twitter.com/ryCJ3Hs45y</a></p>— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mariners/status/1037584253301579776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Denard Span went 3-for-3 with a HR hitting between Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager. Span batting .300 since trade to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mariners?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Mariners</a> ... and apparently hoping he’s Seager’s new BFF over Cruz: <a href="https://t.co/OGGcD45EpS">https://t.co/OGGcD45EpS</a> <a href="https://t.co/BQQjcwAISL">pic.twitter.com/BQQjcwAISL</a></p>— TJ Cotterill (@TJCotterill) <a href="https://twitter.com/TJCotterill/status/1037590965198839809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Cruz got things started again with a double in the seventh before he turned on the turbo. Span followed with a bloop single into left field and Cruz, who over the weekend was hobbled by a bone bruise in his foot, charged past third base toward home, sliding underneath a high throw for a 4-2 Mariners lead.
“Great athlete — Cruz will surprise you sometimes,” Span said. “He’ll switch on off every now and then and beat out an infield hit and things like that. People forget that he used to be a really good right fielder.”
Guillermo Heredia, in his first at-bat since Aug. 19, followed two batters later with a sacrifice bunt after Span stole third for a 5-2 lead.
Let’s get to it. Three takeaways:
Bats charged
It wasn’t a lot of runs, but it was plenty of homers.
Mitch Haniger, Nelson Cruz and Denard Span all left the yard to plate the Mariners’ three runs. That was the 18th time this season that Seattle has hit at least three homers in a game.
They are 14-4 in those games.
Hitting coach Edgar Martinez said earlier this week that home runs were the most glaring disappointment for the Mariners offense this season, ranking 11th out of 15 teams this season in dingers.
Err, error
The Mariners committed three errors in the fifth inning that led to two Orioles runs.
That’s the first time that’s happened this season.
They previously had three other games with two errors in a single inning, but none with three errors. Robinson Cano, Jean Segura and Dee Gordon were each hit.
Segura was orignally charged with two errors in the inning before his first was switched after the game to an error on Cano at first base. Segura’s throw got past Cano to his right, when it appeared Cano had more of the bag to use to stretch to it.
Regardless, the Orioles scored their first run of the game on that, tying it at 1-1.
Segura’s error then came on a ground ball that skipped past him at shortstop for another Orioles run before Gordon’s throwing error put runners at the corners. Mike Leake got a ground ball to Kyle Seager, though, and no error later the Mariners were finally out of the fifth inning.
Both the runs charged to Leake were unearned. But his pitch count soared and he was out after the sixth inning.
7th-inning man?
Shawn Armstrong spent until Aug. 28 pitching for Triple-A Tacoma until the Mariners brought him up for his team debut. He dominated for the Rainiers and now he might be the Mariners’ new seventh-inning bridge reliever.They had a 5.19 seventh-inning ERA out of their relievers entering Wednesday and Armstrong pitched a scoreless frame, stranding Adam Jones (who had his third hit) at first base with an inning-ending strikeout.
In 4 2/3 innings pitched for the Mariners, Armstrong has not allowed a run and just two hits with four strikeouts.
“Really excited about what I saw,” Servais said. “I think that’s the best outing he’s had since he’s been with us. The last fastball he threw to strike out the last batter just took off. It’s exciting stuff and great to see. He’ll continue to get plenty of shots in that role.”
Play of the game
Nelson Cruz’s home run tied the game with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Like Span said, the Mariners felt like they were down about three runs after those three errors in the top of the fifth. Then Cruz ignited then and Span followed to make it back-to-back homers and a 3-2 Mariners lead.
“When Nelson came up and hit that homer, I think it sparked us a little bit,” Span said. “It gave us a little momentum.
“We’re going to need it to carry over to the next series. New York has a potent offense and they have good at-bats and they make the pitcher throw pitches and we’re going to have to match their offensive output and we got to score some runs.”
Top batter
Hard to say between Cruz and Span. They combined to go 5-for-7 with a home run each and Cruz added a double before scoring on Span’s bloop single in the seventh inning.
Span is batting .300 since arriving with the Mariners in late May in a trade from the Rays.
Mitch Haniger also homered and extended his career-best hit streak to 17 games, the longest active hit streak in the major leagues.
Top pitcher
Mike Leake didn’t have his best stuff, but the reason he’s such a valuable veteran in this rotation is his ability to battle despite not having wipeout stuff.
Leake made it through six innings and limited damage in that fifth inning despite the Orioles two unearned runs. He struck out four, walked none and allowed seven hits.
Leake earned his first win, though, since June 23 at Boston, despite lowering his season ERA to 4.11.
Alex Colome and Edwin Diaz then did their dominant things, pitching two perfect innings in the eighth and ninth innings to lock it down. Diaz earned his 53rd save of the season, extending his Mariners single-season record.
Quotable
Nelson Cruz on Denard Span since arriving to the Mariners:
“It seems like every at-bat he goes 3-2 and he battels a lot of foul balls off,” Cruz said. “He’s been huge for us and in key games he’s come through. He’s definitely a huge part of the lineup.”
This story was originally published September 5, 2018 at 10:15 PM.