Mariners Battered By Twins Seattle Drops Fifth Straight, Falls Four Games Behind Texas
Minnesota Twins pitcher Scott Klingenbeck has been on a lengthy search for a major-league win. His turn in the rotation came just at the right time against the struggling Seattle Mariners Saturday.
Although his performance was far from stellar, the Twins battered Seattle pitching all night to give Klingenbeck a 10-4 win in front of 34,381 in the Kingdome.
It was Klingenbeck’s first win since he was acquired by the Twins in July - of 1995. The right-hander with mediocre stuff came into the game with an 0-1 record and an earned-run average over 11. He improved a bit, going 5 innings and giving up four runs.
“It’s a win so I can’t complain,” Klingenbeck said. “I had one bad inning and got a lot of luck and good breaks to go along with it.”
It wasn’t his pitching that won the game, it was the ineffective Seattle hurlers that stretched the Mariners losing streak to five games.
Conversely, the Twins have won five straight games and are one of the teams climbing into the wild-card race along with Seattle. The Mariners’ skid, combined with Texas’ win over Toronto Saturday has the M’s four games out in the American League West and three games back of Chicago for the wild-card spot.
The Mariners’ pitchers got themselves in trouble early and couldn’t work out of it.
Minnesota’s recipe for success started with its leadoff batter reaching base safely in each of the first eight innings. Most of those runners quickly circled the sacks, chased home by the Twins’ 18 hits, including two home runs.
Shortstop Pat Meares had a career-best, four-hit night. Until he grounded out in the fifth, Meares had a string of seven consecutive hits dating back to his last at-bat against California Thursday.
Meares hit a high chopper to third in the first inning for an infield single which advanced Chuck Knoblauch to third from first. Knoblauch hustled all the way around and beat Andy Sheets’ diving tag at the bag. The unusual play started an unusual night which found the Mariners a bit out of synch.
Mariners starter Sterling Hitchcock got out of the first giving up just one run, although no ball left the infield. But he didn’t get much further. A four-run third, capped by Dave Hollins’ 12th homer, made it 5-1 and when Hitchcock walked Knoblauch - who eventually scored the sixth run - to start the fourth, he was done.
The start was Hitchcock’s first since July 31. The nine days off were supposed to refresh his sore arm and body. In turn he was expected to return fresh and end the Mariners skid.
Although he said his arm felt sound, he never developed a rhythm and the Twins’ took advantage.
“My only consistency out there was falling behind (in the count) and giving up hits; getting the ball up in the zone. I did that consistently,” Hitchcock said. “I need to focus a little better. I’ve just got to be better than that. Next time out, I will be.”
Hitchcock took the loss to fall to 11-5, but it only got worse when he left.
Rafael Carmona gave up five hits in two innings including Matt Walbeck’s second home run in 116 at-bats this season.
Seattle had cut it to 5-4 in the third when the double or nothing clan of Rodriguez, Griffey and Buhner cut the deficit to one with back-to-back-to-back two baggers, plating three runs.
Klingenbeck responded by setting down the next nine straight. Seattle put runners at second and third in the sixth before Klingenbeck was relieved, but it didn’t get them in and it was it’s last good opportunity.
Rodriguez’s double was his second hit of the game and his 40th of the season. He finished 2 for 4 moving his average to a league-leading .363.
Knoblauch, who came into the series with the league lead, went 2 for 5 and is hitting .359.
Rodriguez also added a couple of brilliant plays at short and scored his 100th run of the year. He is the sixth player in franchise history to reach the century mark in runs scored.
Notes
The 100-run mark has been reached eight times in Mariners history. Edgar Martinez and Phil Bradley did it twice. … Griffey drove in three runs and has six RBIs in the last two games. … Meares reached base nine straight times extending back to Thursday’s game at California and had hits in seven straight at-bats before grounding out in the fifth inning.
Hollins, who was 7 for 35 with one RBI in the past 10 games, went 3 for 4 and drove in two runs. … Stahoviak’s single gave Twins pinch-hitters a .336 average (38 for 113). … Molitor’s two hits gave him 53 multihit games, tops in the majors this season.