Mariners Shut Out By Hector Noesi And The White Sox
Seattle is a sports city without a lot of supervillains. Colin Kaepernick, sure, but the Seahawks also do this thing where they’re better than the 49ers and Russell Wilson is the best quarterback in the NFC West. Mike Trout should be a villain, but it’s too hard not to watch in awe at his every move. Plus, he seems like an enjoyable lug. But fear not. Now there’s Hector Noesi.
First he was part of a disastrous trade that netted the Mariners negative value and plenty of heartache. Then he was released, and now he’s a starter for the Chicago White Sox. He sucks, but against the Mariners, he doesn’t suck. Today he didn’t suck, to the tune of 6.2 shutout innings. The outing brought his ERA below five.
Of course this was going to happen. Of course Taijuan Walker was only going to last four frames in Chicago, with more walks than innings. But of all the crappy pitchers to dominate the Mariners over the years, this one has got to be the worst. Noesi. Seriously?
There was upside to this game. Walker, despite his five walks and two wild pitches, allowed only two hits while striking out three. Those two hits were the only allowed by the Mariners, as Dominic Leone and Brandon Maurer threw two dominant frames apiece. That’s six total White Sox hits over the last 23 innings. Dustin Ackley and Brad Miller each had encouraging two-hit games. Corey Hart got on base a couple times.
No, this one will forever and always start and end with Noesi. What an embarrassment. The Mariners leave Chicago with two losses and a win, but at least they leave Chicago. Tomorrow the Minnesota Twins come to town, and the Mariners get to throw Hisashi Iwakuma at home against Kevin Correia. Ugh. Chicago is the worst.