Dae-Ho Lee’s two RBIs help Mariners edge Cardinals
SEATTLE – The short-term view Saturday was positive for the Mariners.
They built an early five-run lead and held on for a 5-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals when closer Steve Cishek protected that one-run margin in the ninth inning against his former teammates.
The victory boosted the Mariners back over .500 at 38-37 and, combined with Friday’s walk-off magic, clinched the three-game weekend series. Maybe they are pulling out of their extended June swoon.
But as the Mariners begin to regain ailing starters in their rotation, they face a decision on Nathan Karns, who hasn’t worked past the fifth inning in any of his last five outings despite throwing 90-plus pitches in each one.
Karns has also allowed 19 earned runs in 23 1/3 innings in that span.
The Mariners presented Karns with a 5-0 lead through two innings but, despite retiring the first eight Cardinals, he nearly squandered the entire margin before he exited after the fifth.
Karns was lucky to escape the third with just one run, but he served up a three-run meatball in the fifth to Aledmys Diaz.
The Mariners led by one run when Mike Montgomery replaced Karns to start the sixth inning. Montgomery pitched around a single and an error by shortstop Ketel Marte in the sixth before working a 1-2-3 seventh.
Montgomery got the first out in the eighth before manager Scott Servais went to rookie Edwin Diaz, who got the final two outs. Third baseman Kyle Seager contributed a web-gem stop and throw for the final out at second.
Cishek closed out the victory by pitching around a one-out double for his 17th save in 21 chances. Karns got the victory and improved to 6-2 despite his 4.56 ERA.
St. Louis starter Mike Leake (5-5) gave up three runs in the first inning and two more in the second. He departed with one on and one out in the fourth inning after allowing nine hits.
The Mariners struck for three two-out runs in the first inning after loading the bases on singles by Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz and a walk to Seager.
Dae-Ho Lee grounded a two-run single through the right side, and Friday’s hero Adam Lind followed by grounding an RBI single up the middle.
The Mariners opened the second with singles by Marte and Leonys Martin, who moved to second and third on Seth Smith’s fly to deep center.
After an intentional walk to Cano, which loaded the bases, the Cardinals got what they wanted – Cruz hit a hard grounder to third baseman Jhonny Peralta. But the ball ate up Peralta for a run-scoring error.
Seager followed with a grounder to second that should have been an inning-ending double play, but Matt Carpenter booted the ball and settled for an one out at first. Another run scored, and the Mariners led 5-0.
Karns retired the first eight Cardinals before the wheels came off.
Kolten Wong flicked a two-out single to left in the third inning. Walks to Carpenter and Diaz loaded the bases. Matt Holliday grounded an RBI single up the middle.
Karns went 3-0 on Steve Piscotty before throwing a strike. Piscotty then lined out to Cano at second. So just one run. It could have been worse.
The Mariners had a chance to answer later in the inning when they put runners at second and third with two outs, but Smith grounded out to short.