Justin Verlander outduels Felix Hernandez, Mariners drop second consecutive game to Astros

SEATTLE — Felix Hernandez and Justin Verlander share several similar pitching statistics.

Both veteran right-handers made their MLB debuts in 2005. Both have frustrated American League batters for the better part of 15 seasons, started more than 400 games, and have impressively low career ERAs — Hernandez at 3.34, and Verlander at 3.39.

But, as strikingly similar as the numbers are, it was Verlander, the Houston Astros ace, who had the edge in the fifth career meeting between the two former AL Cy Young winners Saturday night at T-Mobile Park, which culminated in a 3-1 loss for the Mariners.

“You can’t make mistakes against the Astros,” Hernandez said. “Facing Verlander, you can’t make any mistakes.”

The two pitchers now have two wins, two losses, and on no decision apiece in games they’ve faced each other. Each of the five games has been, on average, decided by less than three runs.

All of the meetings have been played in Seattle, though the four prior to Saturday (2016, 2009, 2008 and 2006) were all when Verlander was with Detroit.

“It’s not the first time we’ve faced each other, so I knew it was going to be a close game,” Hernandez said. “I made two mistakes, and that was the game.”

Seattle, which rocketed to the best start in club history, and is still clinging to the best record in baseball at 13-4, has now dropped back-to-back games for the first time this season.

“We haven’t played many of these games,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “Most of the games we’ve been in have been high scoring, a lot of base runners. Tonight was just dominated by pitching on both sides, and we just came up a little bit short.”

Verlander (2-0, 3.52 ERA) pitched brilliantly in his fourth outing of the season, taming a Mariners offense that was averaging five runs off of opposing starters entering the game.

He is just the third starter Seattle has faced this season that has completed six innings, joining Angels’ Trevor Cahill and Kansas City’s Jorge Lopez — though the Mariners rallied against relievers to win both of those games.

The only blunder Verlander made came in the fourth, when Mitch Haniger unloaded on a changeup for his fourth home run of the season.

The solo shot to center was one of only two hits the Mariners managed against Verlander, who struck out 11 batters — six consecutive at one point — walked none, and retired 18 of the 20 batters he faced. Daniel Vogelbach’s leadoff single in the fifth was the only other knock on Verlander.

“He threw the ball well,” Vogelbach said. “I think we had a lot of good at-bats that can go unnoticed with the numbers that he put up today. … Nobody went down easy. We made him work for everything.”

Hernandez (1-1, 4.38) delivered a satisfying outing, and pitched well enough to give the Mariners — who were averaging nearly eight runs per game entering Saturday — a chance to win the game.

“Very encouraged by what I saw tonight,” Servais said. “I thought early in the game he had a really good changeup, had really good bottom to it, some good curveballs, I thought he finished through the fastball well late in the game.

“Really good signs there. And (he) competed his tail off against arguably one of the best right-handers in the game.”

Five days after leaving his last start just one inning into the game, Hernandez worked through six, allowing three earned runs on six hits, striking out five and walking one.

“I feel fine,” he said. “I’m happy — not with the result, because we didn’t win the game — but I’m happy with me.”

But, the three runs he allowed, on two solo homers to Robinson Chirinos and Jose Altuve, and an RBI single to Michael Brantley, gave Houston enough room to collect the win.

Altuve’s 411-foot home run to center was his fifth in as many games, and his seventh of the season. He is now tied for second in the AL in homers with Mariners slugger Jay Bruce.

Mariners reliever Brandon Brennan threw a scoreless frame in seventh, and Connor Sadzeck did the same in the eighth and ninth, but the offense couldn’t scatch across another run following Haniger’s smash, which extended the club’s home run streak to 17 consecutive games.

The Mariners were retired 1-2-3 six times during the game, including four of the innings Verlander pitched.

Vogelbach and Tim Beckham recorded back-to-back two-out hits in the seventh, but Beckham’s double to right center bounced over the wall, which likely cost the Mariners a run. Omar Narvaez grounded out to second to end that scoring threat, and the next six Mariners were retired in order to end the game.

“We’ve lost the last two, but I think we’ve played really well still,” Vogelbach said. “We’re right where we want to be, and we’ll just get back at it tomorrow.”

ON TAP

Mariners left-handed ace Marco Gonzales (4-0, 3.16) is scheduled to take the mound for the series finale against Houston at 1:10 p.m. Sunday. Right-hander Garrit Cole (0-2, 3.32) is the projected starter for the Astros.

The game will be telecast on Root Sports Northwest, and broadcast on 710-ESPN radio.

This story was originally published April 13, 2019 at 8:58 PM.