Slump busted
Seager’s two-run HR ends hitless streak, lifts M’s past Texas
ARLINGTON, Texas – Kyle Seager didn’t know the specifics. The fact that he was hitless in his last 21 at-bats wasn’t on his mind when he stepped to the plate in the eighth inning. Heck, he really didn’t even know he was in “a slump.”
“I realized I hadn’t had a hit in a while,” he said. “But it’s just one of those things you go through in a season.”
With the Mariners down 1-0 and looking at being shut out for the third time this season at Rangers Ballpark, Seager changed the entire game with one swing, blasting a two-run homer to right field of reliever Neal Cotts. It gave the Seattle Mariners a lead they would not relinquish in a 3-1 win Friday over the Texas Rangers.
“I didn’t know until the postgame interview that I was 0 for 21 so that was good to hear,” Seager deadpanned. “Sometimes you can take bad swings and get hits and other times you’ll feel good and not get hits. For me, the past couple days have started to feel a little bit better.”
It’s typical Seager, who has been the Mariners’ steadiest hitter this season. Slumps are rarely acknowledged and always short-lived.
“We knew he was struggling a little,” acting manager Robby Thompson said. “The thing about him, you’d never know it with the way he handles and carries himself, whether he’s 10 for 20 or 0 for 21. That’s a sign of a pro right there.”
Seager’s homer put Hisashi Iwakuma in line for the win. The Mariners starter pitched seven strong innings, giving up just one run on four hits, while striking out eight and walking three.
He was happy to see Seager’s shot.
“I was in the dugout and I was yelling, ‘Get over that fence,’ ” Iwakuma said through translator Antony Suzuki.
Iwakuma’s lone run allowed came in the fourth inning when a leadoff walk to Ian Kinsler proved costly as he came around to score on A.J. Pierzynski’s single to left. But Iwakuma shook it off, worked out of minor jams and deep into the game.
Justin Smoak gave the beleaguered bullpen some much-needed insurance, blasting his 14th homer to push the lead to 3-1.
“Smoak’s home run was huge,” closer Danny Farquhar said. “You can be so much more aggressive.”
After blowing a save in his last outing, Farquhar worked a 1-2-3 inning to get his sixth save of the season.
“It’s always good after a rough outing to get back on the mound and get after it again,” Farquhar said.