Mariners hoping to build off big hits

Two Mariners hope that their big late-inning hits Friday night will lead to turnarounds at the plate.

Brad Wilkerson, who has struggled in his first month as a Mariner, helped break the game open with a two-run single in the sixth, and Kenji Johjima ended an 0-for-23 slump with an RBI double in the eighth. Both players went 1 for 4 in Saturday’s 8-3 victory over the Angels.

“You try to stay positive through the rough times, and to get a hit like that in a game like that against a division foe, it feels good to do that,” Wilkerson said. “Hopefully I can build on that and take it forward.”

Johjima shaved his head before Friday’s game, but said the new hairstyle had nothing to do with his slump.

“My hair got long so I just decided to cut it,” Johjima said through an interpreter. “If I could get a hit by cutting my hair, I’d cut my hair every day.”

Everett Herald