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Seattle Mariners

Mariners Log: Astros post season-high hit total and down M’s

Houston Astros catcher Brian McCann attempts the tag as Seattle Mariners' Jarrod Dyson dives safely across the plate to score on a double by Mitch Haniger during the third inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, April 11, 2017, in Seattle. (Ted S. Warren / Associated Press)
By Dave Nichols daven@spokesman.com(509) 459-5441

HANIGER CAN’T COME UP WITH SLICING BASES-CLEARING LINER

What happened: The Houston Astros recorded a season-high 14 hits and generated a four-run sixth inning to down the Seattle Mariners 7-5 on Tuesday in Seattle in the second of a three-game series.

The Mariners had two chances with the tying run at the plate in the ninth but Robinson Cano grounded into a 4-6 fielder’s choice and Nelson Cruz flied out to center to end it.

In the sixth, the Astros had six straight batters reach with two outs against starter Ariel Miranda and reliever James Pazos, who did not record an out in his appearance. The big blow was Evan Gattis’ bases-loaded double, which was in and out of right fielder Mitch Haniger’s glove on a sliding attempt of a catch.

Miranda gave up four runs on seven hits and two walks, striking out five over 5 2/3 innings. His slider was inconsistent, but threw two good ones to record strikeouts in the fifth inning with two one and no outs.

Astros starter Joe Musgrove went 5 1/3 innings and allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk, striking out two.

Line Outs

  • Astros’ leadoff hitter George Springer – who has far more power than a traditional leadoff hitter – smacked Ariel Miranda’s first pitch of the game to straight center for a leadoff tater. Springer became the first in MLB history to record four leadoff homers in his team’s first nine games. Three have come against the Mariners.
  • The M’s young lefty settled down to pick up a pair of Ks and got out of the inning without further damage.
  • Astros went back to work in third inning and the second time through the order, picking up a run on a pair of two-out RBI singles by Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve. Both hits came on sliders that got too much of the plate.
  • In the Jarrod Dyson tried to bunt for a base hit. The throw pulled first baseman Yuri Gurriel into the runner who was, admittedly, inside the baseline to begin with. They collided, with Dyson tumbling head over heels in foul territory. He stayed in the game.
  • To good effect. Mitch Haniger doubled off the top of the wall in left and Dyson originally stopped at third, but took off again when the throw from left was behind him. Dyson beat the throw home with a head-first slide. Robinson Cano followed with a single to left and Haniger scored easily.
  • In the fifth, the Astros put two on with no outs but Miranda came back to get Springer and Bregman – both on sliders – and Altuve popped up to end the threat.
  • The Mariners tacked one on in the fifth. Carlos Ruiz was hit leading off, chugged over to third on Taylor Motter’s double and came home on a sac fly by Dyson. Motter went to third on an errant pickoff attempt and Haniger walked, but Cano grounded into 6-3 double play to end the rally.
  • Reliever James Pazos loaded the bases in the sixth on a pair of walks and a single – all with two outs. Pazos got Evan Gattis to slice a fly ball down the right field line that should have been caught by Haniger, but it clanged in an out of his glove as he slid to make the catch, clearing the bases. The really continued on Bregman’s run-scoring single and Pazos was lifted at 6-3 with runners still at first and second.

    • TOOTBLAN alert: Nelson Cruz led off the bottom half with a single and went to third on Kyle Seager’s drive to the wall in right. Seager, however, got nailed when Altuve cut off Springer’s throw, catching Seager between second and third. Cruz was eventually stranded at third.

  • Motter doubled with one out in the seventh and Haniger walked with two outs to put the tying run at the plate in the person of Cano, but he popped out to short left.
  • Reliever Casey Fien picked off Gurriel after his third hit of the game in the eighth. Gurriel broke early and Fien threw behind him for the out.
  • Altuve doubled in the ninth. Not remarkable? It was his first extra-base hit of the season in his team’s ninth game. Altuve then stole third and later scored on a single by Carlos Beltran, just his second RBI of the season.
  • M’s picked up a run in the ninth and had the tying run at the plate with one out with Cano at bat. Cano brought home a run on a fielder’s choice and Cruz flied out to end it.

The Takeaway

The bullpen could turn out to be an asset but it didn’t help in this one. Pazos looked overmatched pitching in a close game in the middle innings and while Fien was sharp in his first inning of work he was decidedly less so in the second. Miranda’s final line looks worse than it could have been with the two inherited runners scoring. With the bats still trying to find a consistency level, every pitching and defense mistake gets magnified.

Tweet of the Day

Players of the Game

Hero: Taylor Motter. He probably won’t have the opportunity to appear in this spot very often, so here’s props for his three-double night.

Goat: James Pazos. Completely ineffectual. Allowed two runs on four hits without recording an out.

Mariners Notes

Mitch Haniger’s run in the third was his 10th of the season, tops in MLB, and he has scored runs in eight straight, tying a club rookie record (with Danny Tartabull in 1986)…Taylor Motter becomes the third Mariners shortstop in club history with three doubles in a game (last: Willie Bloomquist, July 6, 2005 at KC)…Jarrod Dyson (1 for 4, R, RBI) has reached base safely via a hit, walk or hit by pitch in seven consecutive games. During that span, he is 5 for 26 (.192) with two runs, two doubles and two RBI, with a walk, steal, two HBPs and a sacrifice fly.

Next Game

Seattle Mariners vs. Houston Astros on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. at Safeco Field. RHP Yovani Gallardo (0-1, 5.40) vs. Mike Fiers (0-1, 1.50).