Wednesday, April 21, 2010

MARINERS: M's top O's 3-1 for second consecutive


The M’s took advantage of the lowly Orioles again last night, winning 3-1 off of exceptional pitching and timely hitting. Seattle LHP Jason Vargas performed masterfully for the second consecutive start, pitching 7.0 strong innings allowing only 1 ER off of 3 hits. Franklin Gutierrez and Milton Bradley both had RBI singles in the first, which were all the Mariners needed to earn their second consecutive win against Baltimore.

To Continue...

After a rocky start in the first inning allowing his only run off of back-to-back hits, Vargas showed signs of composure that was (dare I say it) comparable to Jamie Moyer in his prime here in Seattle. Jason utilized his breaking and off-speed pitches with exceptional precision, striking out 5 batters and allowing only two walks.

With the way both Fister and Vargas have been performing, the M’s have serious decisions that need to be made when Cliff Lee returns from the DL in the coming weeks. The simple answer is to bench RHP Ian Snell based on his futility, but may not be as simple considering that would transition a lefty in Lee for right-handed Snell.

Offensively, Cap’n Jack Wilson earned his third RBI and primarily an insurance run for the Mariners in the seventh inning, lining a double down the left field line and scoring Eric Byrnes from second.

Note: Milton Bradley left the game in the second inning with tightness in his left calf, after knocking an RBI single in the first. Bradley has faced this minor injury in the last week, and is most likely expected to be day-to-day and not be placed on the DL.

The final game of the series against Baltimore begins tonight at 7:10 pm at Safeco Field. The Mariners will feature Felix Hernandez (1-0, 3.10) on the bump, as the O’s will provide Kevin Millwood (0-2, 2.89) opposite Felix.

Reach Jacob Kehle at nextseasonsports@gmail.com