Author: Zach Menchel
Found in section: Sports
Mariners' 6 - 5 Loss To The Orioles In Baltimore
On Thursday, May 13, despite the rabid media coverage and speculation circulating around the reports that Ken Griffey Jr. had fallen asleep in the clubhouse during a game, the Mariners prepared for the rubber game of a three-game set in Baltimore against the Orioles.
Seattle won the first game of the series by a final score of 5-1 with Cliff Lee on the mound before the Orioles were able to even it up by taking the second game 6-5.
Being the losers of nine out of their last 11 games and owners of a tough May schedule made it plenty obvious that the Mariners desperately needed a win.
With Felix Hernandez on the mound, that was a definite possibility just as long as “King” Felix would display a short memory and forget all about the disappointing performance (3.1 IP, 5 hits, 7 earned runs, and 4 walks against LAA) he had been coming off of.
Hernandez struck out three Orioles batters and allowed just one hit through three innings at Camden Yards, but a two-out single by second basemen Ty Wiggington in the fourth inning scored outfielder Nick Markakis from third.
Eager to provide their ace with some run support, the Mariners answered back in the fifth frame. Center fielder Ryan Langerhans (playing for the injured Franklin Gutierrez) doubled to lead off the inning. He advanced to third on a fly out by shortstop Josh Wilson before scoring and knotting the game up at one due to an impressive 10-pitch at-bat by young left fielder Michael Saunders, who laced a Kevin Millwood offering into right field.
The two-out rally had just begun. Two pitches later and Ichiro, whom had notoriously killed the Orioles at the plate in Baltimore, was able to square up and hit one just over the wall in right center field for a two-run home run (his first of the season) as the M’s took a 3-1 lead.
Mike Sweeney followed suit in the sixth inning with a home run deep into the center field bleachers, a rare occurrence coming from the DH spot for the Mariners (the first of the year) as he put the club up 4-1.
Saunders smacked his second big-league homer the following inning, forcing Orioles manager Dave Trembley to make the call to the bullpen for Mark Hendricksen, a Mount Vernon native and former two-sport star at Washington State.
Because the Orioles trailed 5-1 late in the ballgame, the few fans that had actually bothered to show up at the ballpark began to either doze off or head for the nearest exits.
There was seemingly no way that Seattle could lose this game, but these are thoughts that are best kept to one’s self as, sure enough, the Mariners managed to blow another one.
“King” Felix looked dominant but exhausted after seven strong innings and was taken out by manager Don Wakamatsu, apparently confident enough in his bullpen to maintain a four-run lead and finish the job.
Brandon League came in to relieve Hernandez and promptly surrendered a solo home run shot to Mariners spring training reject Corey Patterson, a career .200 hitter. He then allowed Adam Jones to reach first base on a wild third strike, a single to Markakis, and a walk to Wiggington.
Luke Scott sent them all home with the grand-slam home run into left-center field and, just like that, the M’s managed to screw up yet another masterful pitching performance.
An Ichiro single with two outs in the ninth inning gave the Mariners hope, but Josh Wilson was thrown out at the plate attempting to tie up the game.
After another heartbreaking, stomach-turning loss to the Orioles, the team with the worst record in baseball, the Mariners already find themselves in a familiar hole. They’ll have to scratch and fight their way back into playing .500 baseball, but all hope is not lost, at least yet.
