Despite Homers, Runs Quit Coming
The home-run ball gets the fans out of their seats and creates some instant offense, but it hasn’t been a winning formula lately for the Seattle Mariners.
Seattle had hit 31 home runs in its past 17 games entering Wednesday, bringing its total to a major-league leading 193. The Mariners are on pace to hit 250, which would be the second-most in baseball history.
Yet with the long balls flying, Seattle has averaged just 4.4 runs in its past 15 games. In the past 17 games, the team’s earned-run average has been 3.55, lowering the season ERA to 4.93 from a high of 5.93.
The good pitching and home-run combo hasn’t produced results equally as impressive.
Since the month of June, when the Mariners were the hottest team in the majors going 20-7, they have been just a .500 ball club.
The June performance gave Seattle a 5-1/2-game lead in the A.L. West. Since then, Seattle has traded the lead with Anaheim nine times.
Notes
Tuesday’s two long balls by Russ Davis gave him the first multi-homer game of his career… . Usually erratic second baseman Joey Cora has not made an error in the past 43 games. The major league record for consecutive errorless games at second is 90 by Ryne Sandberg of the Cubs.
Jay Buhner and former Mariners and current Yankees pitcher Jeff Nelson, both Issaquah residents, have helped organize a special benefit auction Saturday to help Issaquah’s Todd Everest, who was severely injured in a recent motorcycle accident. Buhner, Nelson and other players will be on hand at the Issaquah Community Center beginning at 7 p.m. to autograph items for a $20 donation. Autographed jerseys and other memorabilia will also be auctioned.
Pitcher Gil Meche, the Mariners’ top pick in the 1996 draft, was promoted from Everett to Wisconsin on Wednesday. Everett’s season will be done in two weeks and Wisconsin will be advancing to the playoffs, possibly giving Meche an extra few starts. Ryan Anderson, Seattle’s top pick this year, has not signed. The M’s have until Sept. 3, when Anderson begins classes at the University of Michigan, to sign the 6-foot-10 left-hander.
xxxx ON DECK The series finale with Cleveland tonight matches Jamie Moyer (12-4, 4.26) and Bartolo Colon (2-5, 5.50) at 7:05 p.m. The game will be televised on TCI Cable channel 25.