Offense? Mariners way too late found some of their long-lost bats this month

One night earlier the Seattle Mariners were as lifeless as they’ve been at any point in this second-half crater out of the playoff chase with two hits in a shutout loss.

So they jumped to a nine-run lead, added three more in the bottom of the eighth inning and rode the combined seven hits from Robinson Cano and Cameron Maybin to a 12-6 win over the Texas Rangers on Friday night at Safeco Field.

Cano went 4-for-5 with a double to tie him with Lou Gehrig at 40th on MLB’s career doubles leaderboard. Maybin had his best day as a Mariner with a 3-for-5 night with four RBI.

This was the sixth time in September the Mariners (87-73) scored at least eight runs in a game. They had two of those games combined in the months of July and August when the Oakland Athletics ran Seattle out of the playoff chase.

That’s also the most wins in the three years Scott Servais and Jerry Dipoto were hired to run the Mariners, passing the 86-win season of 2016. The 85-win Minnesota Twins made the playoffs last year.

Servais was asked if that’s at least something they can take.

“It is – it’s just how we got there was a little crazy,” Servais said. “With the start we had and tailing off in the second half, you shake your head at it. But you look up at the end of the year and I don’t know what we’ll end up with but it’s going to be a respectable number. It’s just how we got there. If we had a slow start and you come gangbusters at the end you might feel a little different about it.”

All these runs offensively, though, have kept closer Edwin Diaz out of ninth-inning saves situations. Their lack of breakout offense is really part of the reason Diaz has collected 56 saves this season, a Mariners record and the third-most in a season in MLB history.

He was warming up with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Mariners leading 9-6, when Guillermo Heredia roped a ground-rule double to score a run and Maybin followed with a two-run single.

So instead of a chance for Diaz’s 57th save this year, which would have tied Bobby Thigpen for second-most saves in a single season, Diaz sat back down.

The Mariners conclude their 2018 season against the Rangers with games on Saturday and Sunday.

Back to Seattle’s offense.

That friendly phrase for the Mariners, control the zone, reared itself in the second inning. Nelson Cruz, Ryon Healy and Heredia drew walks to load the bases for Maybin, who hit a single off of 6-foot-6 Ronald Guzman’s glove at first base and into right field.

Mitch Haniger then fouled off four consecutive pitchers and drew a bases-loaded, 10-pitch walk. Jean Segura knocked the floodgates open when his fly ball to right field went off of Rangers right fielder Nomar Mazara’s glove on his over-the-shoulder attempt. The bases cleared before an RBI single from Cano and double from Cruz made it 7-0, Mariners.

Segura was removed from the game after safely sliding into home plate and barely beating a tag on Cano’s single. Servais said he was sending a message to the All-Star shortstop and didn’t think Segura hustled.

“We’re going to play hard through the end of the year,” Servais said. “I didn’t think Jean gave a really good effort trying to score from second and he came out of the game.”

On if Segura would play Saturday:

“We’ll see,” Servais said.

But, yes, seven runs in one inning. It felt like they went two months without scoring seven runs.

“Long at-bats and walks and we had a lot of good at-bats,” Servais said. “That was good to see.”

They tacked on two more in the third inning when Maybin and Cano each had their second run-scoring hits in as many innings.

So 9-0, Mariners.

Except starter Wade LeBlanc struggled with his command and fought his release point after sitting in the dugout so long – this after allowing just one run in three scoreless innings out of the gate.

In the fourth inning LeBlanc walked the leadoff batter, allowed Adrian Beltre’s RBI double and another RBI double from Nomar Mazara before Robinson Chirinos’ two-run home run.

“I executed pitches for three innings and probably felt the best I’ve felt in the second half,” LeBlanc said. “And then the fourth and fifth were like I had never thrown a baseball before. It happens sometimes.”

The Rangers tacked on two more runs off LeBlanc in the fifth to cut the lead to 9-6.

“Everything felt awful in the fourth and fifth inning,” LeBlanc said. “It’s all mechanical, but there’s nothing specific I can name. Those innings were just completely foreign. It was just a matter of that point praying that Scott would let me get six outs so I can get out of here with the win.”

He did, LeBlanc’s ninth win of the season.

Wade’s world

LeBlanc pitched five innings, allowed six runs (five earned) and struck out six batters after he had cruised through the first three scoreless innings.

The 34-year-old from Lake Charles, Louisiana, had allowed just seven runs in 34 1/3 innings over his previous six starts (1.83 ERA) before allowing five earned runs in five innings this night.

LeBlanc finishes the season with a 3.72 ERA in 162 innings pitched, which should be enough to qualify for the ERA title (it typically requires about 162 innings pitched). He obviously won’t get the ERA title, not with Tampa Bay’s Blake Snell (a Shorewood High School graduate) at a 1.90 ERA.

But the fact LeBlanc reached 162 innings would have been unfathomable at the beginning of the season. He pitched out of the Pirates’ bullpen all last season. His previous career high for innings pitched was way back in 2010 when he tossed 146 innings for the San Diego Padres in 25 starts. He was pitching in Japan three years ago.

LeBlanc earned a $2.75 million one-year contract extension in early July with club options through 2022 and performance bonuses that could net him $32 million. It really marks the first time since he came out of the University of Alabama as a second-round pick in 2006 and pitched with the Padres until 2011 that he’s had a semblance of club stability. He’s since pitched for six other MLB teams, not including minor-league and Japan adventures.

History making

This night included Lou Gehrig and Frank Thomas.

Robinson Cano’s leadoff double in the sixth inning was the 534th of his career, tying him for 40th on MLB’s career doubles list alongside Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig.

That’s some company.

Just earlier, Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre, the former Seattle Mariner, had his second RBI in as many innings to move him past Hall of Famer Frank Thomas into sole possession of 24th among MLB’s all-time RBI leaders with 1,706.

Cano has 1,232 career RBI and is No. 142 on that all-time list.

And Beltre is 11th on MLB’s all-time doubles list with 635, just behind the Angels’ Albert Pujols.

Quotable

Robinson Cano talked about finishing the season strong. In a 28-game stretch since the end of August, Cano has hit .355 (38-for-107) with an over .400 on-base percentage after this 4-for-5 night.

He improved his season batting average to .304.

“I don’t want to say this game doesn’t mean anything, but we wanted to get that earlier,” Cano said. “It’s part of the game, though. We got to go out and show people how much we care and respect the fans. We respect each other here and we want to compete, even in games that don’t mean anyting.”

This story was originally published September 28, 2018 at 10:58 PM.