Mariners Miss Opportunities and Fall to A’s 3-1
By Todd Pheifer
Apr 6, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Erasmo Ramirez (50) pitches from the mound during the first inning against the Oakland Athletics at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports
So far in 2014, Sonny Gray has found success against the Seattle Mariners and starting pitcher Erasmo Ramirez. On April 6, Gray and the Oakland A’s won 6-3 with Ramirez on the hill. On April 12, Gray was again the winning pitcher as the A’s won 3-1.
Maybe we should split these guys up.
That offensive outburst against the Los Angeles Angels in the opening series is really starting to look like an anomaly, as the Mariners now rank 20th in team batting average. Hey, at least they aren’t 30th, right?
The latest loss to the A’s was a tale of missed opportunities. Seattle had runners on first and third with no one out in the opening inning and only managed to get one run. That just can’t happen. Clutch hitting is an element that defines good teams.
Fast forward to the ninth inning, and the Mariners had runners on first and second with only one out. Could they overcome the 3-1 deficit and send the hometown crowd away happy? Apparently not. Michael Saunders struck out and John Buck grounded out to end another sad offensive performance.
Unfortunately, Ramirez received no run support despite pitching somewhat better than his last outing. The young right-hander is now 1-2 with a hefty 5.63 ERA. Not a great way to start the year if he wants to stay in the rotation.
Six Mariners got hits, but five were singles and only Dustin Ackley hit a double. Justin Smoak is sinking down to his traditional batting range and Kyle Seager remains mired in a long slump to start the season.
Since April 2, the Mariners have played eight games and won every other contest. If that pattern continues, today should be a win as Chris Young takes the hill and the Mariners look to win the series against the A’s.
Time to wake up the bats again and re-take the lead in the American League West.