Brewers Blast Mariners, 10-6
For those who sought beauty in the Kingdome on Friday night, Emmy Lou Harris delivered a lovely national anthem.
Fifteen minutes later, before many in the crowd of 27,768 had found their seats, Edwin Hurtado and the Seattle Mariners were well on their way to absorbing a 10-6 loss at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers.
A five-run first inning by Milwaukee helped put the Mariners in a mine shaft, and though they clawed away at a comeback, not even three ninth-inning runs could save Seattle.
“I couldn’t throw strikes and when I did they hit them,” Hurtado said. “They hit everything.”
He could’ve added “hard” but didn’t need to. Before he left the game with none out in the fifth inning, the 26-year-old right-hander had given up three home runs and eight runs - all on a night in which he was supposed to be watching, not pitching.
Staff ace Randy Johnson didn’t make his second start of the year on schedule, sidelined by the flu and the birth of his first son early Friday. Hurtado showed up, prepared to chart the “Big Unit’s” pitches and found out he was the man on the mound.
“He never really found his rhythm in the first inning,” manager Lou Piniella said. “We were short to begin with, so there wasn’t much I could do for him early. We needed five innings out of him. He gave up five runs before he got an out.
“He got a bad one out of the way.”
As telling - and trying - as any at-bat in the game for Hurtado was the first-inning plate appearance of third baseman Jeff Cirillo. Brewers leadoff hitter Chuck Carr had walked on four pitches to open the game, and as the right-hander worked to the No. 2 hitter in the Milwaukee lineup, Carr stole second base, then third.
Hurtado used his entire arsenal against Cirillo, and then some. Fastball. Changeup. Sinker. Slider. Each pitch either just missed the plate or was fouled off. Hurtado pitched inside. He tried the outer corner. In all, Cirillo survived 13 pitches that first inning, fouled off eight of them, and drew a walk.
“I tell you what, the key to the whole game was Cirillo’s at-bat,” Brewers manager Phil Garner said. “That kid made some good pitches and Cirillo just kept fighting him off. Meanwhile, Chuck is stealing two bases …”
The inning and the game slid away from there, as quickly as Hurtado could throw pitches. In rapid succession, Kevin Seitzer singled (1-0 score), Greg Vaughn singled (2-0) and John Jaha homered (5-0).
Still, there were no outs.
“That’s Milwaukee’s game, get ahead of you and then run,” coach Lee Elia said. “To beat them, you have to take them out of that - get a lead and they don’t run as much. When you’re struggling with the bats like we’ve been, 5-0 looks like a lot.”
Hurtado struggled on, holding Milwaukee scoreless for two innings. But in the fourth, and again in the fifth, the Brewers pounded on him again, using more home runs - by Seitzer and Vaughn - to blow the game open and post an 8-1 lead.
Brewers 10, Mariners 6
Milwaukee AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Carr cf 4 2 1 0 1 2 .357 Cirillo 3b 4 1 1 0 1 1 .357 Seitzer 1b 4 3 3 3 1 1 .538 GVaughn lf 5 2 2 2 0 1 .357 Hulse lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Jaha dh 4 1 1 3 0 1 .250 TWard rf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .167 JsValentin ss 3 0 0 0 1 1 .308 Vina 2b 4 0 1 0 0 0 .250 Matheny c 4 1 1 1 0 0 .273 Totals 36 10 11 9 4 8 Seattle AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Amaral lf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .143 Sojo 2b 3 1 0 0 1 0 .286 Griffey Jr cf 4 1 1 2 0 1 .125 EMartinz dh 4 1 1 0 0 1 .267 Buhner rf 4 1 1 1 0 2 .167 RJordan 1b 4 1 0 0 0 1 .143 RDavis 3b 3 1 1 0 1 1 .214 DWilson c 4 0 1 3 0 0 .200 ARodrigz ss 4 0 0 0 0 1 .143 Totals 34 6 6 6 2 8
Milwaukee 500 120 110 - 10 11 1
Seattle 010 002 003 - 6 6 1
E-JsValentin (2), RDavis (2). LOBMilwaukee 3, Seattle 3. 2B-Carr (2), Amaral (1), DWilson (2). HR-Griffey Jr (1) off Karl; Buhner (1) off Karl; Seitzer 2 (2) off Hurtado, BWells; GVaughn (2) off Hurtado; Jaha (1) off Hurtado; Matheny (1) off BWells. RBIsSeitzer 3 (4), GVaughn 2 (5), Jaha 3 (5), Matheny (3), Griffey Jr 2 (3), Buhner (1), DWilson 3 (3). SB- Carr 2 (2). CS-Cirillo (1). GIDPVina.
Runners left in scoring position-Milwaukee 1 (Vina); Seattle 2 (Griffey Jr, ARodriguez).
DP-Seattle 1 (Sojo, ARodriguez and RJordan).
Milwaukee IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Karl W,1-0 8-2/3 6 6 3 2 8 103 3.12 Carpenter 1/2 0 0 0 0 0 6 10.80 Seattle IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Hurtado L,1-1 4 8 8 7 3 3 102 10.50 BWells 5 3 2 2 1 5 82 3.60 Hurtado pitched to 2 batters in the 5th.
Inherited runners-scored-Carpenter 1-0.
T-2:36. A-27,768 (59,166).