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Seattle Mariners

Mariners Log: Nats put up eight-run fourth against Christian Bergman

Washington Nationals Anthony Rendon (6) is congratulated by his teammates after hitting a three-run home run with Ryan Zimmerman (11) and Daniel Murphy (20), scoring during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners in Washington, Tuesday, May 23, 2017. Matt Wieters (32) is on deck. (Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press)
By Dave Nichols daven@spokesman.com(509) 459-5441

BERGMAN, MARINERS POUNDED INTO SUBMISSION BY NATS

What happened: Christian Bergman was lit up and allowed to absorb even more punishment and the Seattle Mariners were pounded by the N.L. East-leading Washington Nationals 10-1 on Tuesday at Nationals Park.

Bergman and the M’s trailed just 2-0 entering the bottom of the fourth. Three outs later, it was 10-0, and Bergman was left on the mound to take it all.

Bergman’s final line was ugly: 10 runs on 14 hits and two walks with no strikeouts and four home runs. The Nats’ Anthony Rendon, Jayson Werth and Bryce Harper – who hit a mammoth shot to straight center estimated at 450 feet – all homered in the frame. For Rendon, it was his second of the game.

The Mariners mustered just five base hits – including Mike Zunino’s first homer run of the year, off Nats’ starter Joe Ross, making his fourth start of the season and first since April 30.

Line Outs

  • SS Jean Segura led off top of first with a single to right. He got a good jump, but Ben Gamel’s grounder went right to second base bag where it was easily turned into double play. Robinson Cano then flied out on his first at-bat off disabled list.
  • 3B Kyle Seager, playing at shortstop in aggressive shift for Bryce Harper, moves to his right to start 5-6-3 double play to end bottom of the first.
  • The Nats dented the scoreboard first, on Anthony Rendon’s two-run homer, his sixth of the season.
  • With two outs in the fourth, Trea Turner lofted a ball to the track that Nelson Cruz took a circuitous route to that ended up in a triple. for Turner. It would have been a tough play for most, led alone a full-time designated hitter. Jayson Werth then homered (7) into the M’s bullpen for a 6-0 Nats lead. Bryce Harper then clubbed a mammoth blast to dead center, estimated at 450 feet with an exit velocity of 110 mph. Three batters later, Anthony Rendon visited the same spot as Harper and it was 10-0.
  • The one bright spot: Mike Zunino hit his first home run of the season in sixth inning, just clearing the row of potted flowers along the top of the left field wall to fall into the first row of the bleachers.
  • Reliever Emilio Pagan took over for Bergman and cruised through four innings of one-hit relief with four strikeouts. Of course at that point everyone just wanted to get off the soggy, rainy field.

The Takeaway

It’s kind of strange that skipper Scott Servais allowed Bergman to take the beating the Nats handed out in the fourth. Maybe he’s envisioning a rough road trip and didn’t want to burn out his bullpen after the first day of a long road trip, but that inning turned on Cruz not negotiating Turner’s fly-ball “triple.”

Tweet of the Day

Players of the Game

Hero: Emilio Pagan. He’ll probably get sent down for a fresh arm after throwing four innings in this one, but saved the pen for the res of the series anyway.

Goat: Christian Bergman. He was left on the mound toiling too long, but he wasn’t good at all.

Next Game

Seattle Mariners (20-26) vs. Washington Nationals (27-17) on Wednesday at 4:05 p.m. at Nationals Park. RHP Sam Gaviglio (0-0, 1.29) faces Tanner Roark (3-2, 4.73).

What others are saying (and writing)

The last three games have been, well, awful for the Mariners. Blowout, blowout, blowout. And yesterday’s was played in a driving rain for a while. … Bergman’s outing was OK until the fourth inning. … Zunino is back, as was Cano. And Cruz was in right field, with predictable results. … The Nationals’ starter last night showed what can happen when a guy comes of the disabled list. … The Mariners passed on this guy.