M’s do just enough … to lose
DETROIT – No matter how many things the Seattle Mariners do well, they do just enough badly to lose. They’ve done it 75 times this season, and while they haven’t beaten themselves in all those games, the Mariners have made so many mistakes that their record is among the worst in the American League – and deserves to be.
Matched against a much-improved Detroit team Friday, Seattle was tied in the sixth inning and then self-destructed as the Tigers pulled away to win, 8-3.
There were no errors on the Mariners linescore, only mistakes. And costly ones, at that.
“Just an ugly game, all around,” starter Ron Villone said.
Catcher Miguel Olivo, a young and athletic player with a magnificent arm, set up Detroit’s first run with his fourth-inning passed ball – his 10th of the season and sixth since joining Seattle 27 games ago.
Olivo’s miss of a Villone fastball put runners at second and third base with no one out, and when both runners scored, one of those Tigers runs was declared unearned.
“Miguel has improved behind the plate and he’s going to be much better, but he’s not there yet,” manager Bob Melvin said. “He’s still learning a new staff, that’s part of the problem. He didn’t have a spring training with them.”
The other glaring defensive mistake came in center, where Randy Winn turned a catchable hit-and-run fly ball by Brandon Inge into a run-scoring triple.
The Tigers led, 3-2, in the sixth inning with Carlos Pena at first base when Detroit manager Alan Trammell greenlighted Pena and Inge hit a long fly ball to center field. If caught, it would have been a double play – Pena was around second and running hard. But it wasn’t caught.
Winn took a circle route to the ball, starting back toward left center field, then winding back toward right center field and, just before getting to the ball, appeared to hesitate and then lunge.
Pena scored. A moment later, on a harmless infield ground ball, so did Inge, and the Tigers’ lead was 5-2.
“I had movement when I was down in the strike zone,” Villone said, “but a lot of pitches I had up were flat. I threw Inge a 2-0 fastball and he hit it hard.”
What the Mariners did well is what they’ve done best all year: Let Ichiro Suzuki hit. Coming off a concussion after being hit by a pitch Wednesday in Kansas City, Ichiro banged out three hits – Nos. 190, 191 and 192 for the season – without once getting a ball out of the infield.
Ichiro legged out a bouncer to shortstop in the first inning, a grounder to first base in the fourth inning and shot a ball off first baseman Pena to second baseman Omar Infante in the eighth.
“Ichiro was looking like Ichiro,” Melvin said.
None of those infielders had a chance to throw him out, and Ichiro finished the night batting .369.