Baek making his case
SEATTLE – Cha Seung Baek made an impressive case for a spot in the Seattle Mariners’ rotation – even when Felix Hernandez returns from injury.
Baek overpowered Kansas City, carrying a no-hit bid into the sixth, and Willie Bloomquist’s second hit of the season was the difference in Seattle’s 5-1 win over the Royals on Sunday.
Seattle won for the fifth time in its last six games.
Baek pitched well in August and September last year, going 4-1 in six starts. He started this season in Triple-A, but was called up on April 23 when Hernandez went to the disabled list with a muscle strain in his right forearm.
Baek dominated the Royals for six innings, and needed to as Seattle managed just four hits off Kansas City starter Brian Bannister (0-1). Mark Grudzielanek got the Royals’ first hit on a line drive single to center with two outs in the sixth.
When Baek tired in the seventh, rookie Brandon Morrow (2-0) entered and got a pair of strikeouts with runners on second and third. He then pitched a perfect eighth.
Bloomquist lined a pitch into center field in the seventh and David DeJesus’ diving attempt came up empty, as Jose Guillen and Yuniesky Betancourt scored.
Jimmy Gobble replaced Bannister, but Ichiro Suzuki greeted him with an RBI single that scored Bloomquist.
Richie Sexson added an RBI single in the eighth, his first single of the season in his 69th at-bat. All nine of his previous hits in April were doubles or home runs.
Bannister was nearly Baek’s equal. Jamie Burke lined an RBI double into the right field corner in the second, but Bannister retired the next 14 batters until Sexson walked to start the seventh.
Sexson was forced at second on Guillen’s slow grounder, but Betancourt then lined a shot into left field and Guillen advanced to third. Betancourt aggressively made it to second, sliding around Grudzielanek’s initial tag attempt, then dove back to the bag before Grudzielanek could tag Betancourt’s hand.
With the infield in, Burke popped up on the first pitch before Bloomquist’s hit.