|
 Right-handed starter Hisashi Iwakuma, who was moved up one spot in
the rotation to keep him on his regular routine, out-pitched Hamels
on Friday to lead the Mariners to a 4-3 win over Texas.
"He was in such a good groove (that) I didn't want to mess with
that," Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon said after Iwakuma threw a
career-high 118 pitches to beat Hamels and the Rangers.
Mariners hit three homers off Hamels on the way to ending the
Rangers' five-game winning streak.
"Cole threw the ball well; it was really three pitches," Texas
manager Jeff Banister said. "They've got power, and they hit the
ball out of the ballpark -- that's what they do."
Left fielder Mark Trumbo, right fielder Nelson Cruz and second
baseman Robinson Cano all hit solo homers, with Cruz and Cano going
back-to-back in the sixth, as Seattle (51-59) won for the fourth
time in five games.
The Rangers (54-54) failed to make up ground on a night when the
American League West-leading Houston Astros lost again.
Hamels (0-1) fell to 0-3 with a 7.31 ERA in three starts against AL
teams. He allowed four runs on eight hits over six innings, with
Seattle's first run coming on a Hamels balk in the third inning.
He had a 3-1 lead before Trumbo opened the fifth inning with a home
run and Cruz and Cano went back-to-back to start the sixth.
"When you're given a lead, you're supposed to hold that," Hamels
said. "I didn't do that today, and it's totally my fault."
Seattle's Iwakuma (3-2) threw a career-high 118 pitches over seven
innings, allowing six hits and three walks.
"Early on, he threw a lot of pitches over the first two innings, and
that concerned me a little bit," McClendon said. "But he really
settled down and got in a groove and pitched seven innings for us.
He was pretty good."
Mariners closer Carson Smith, who has struggled in recent games,
came on in the ninth and allowed just one hit on the way to his 11th
save. Smith gave up a leadoff single to first baseman Mitch Moreland
but retired the final three batters for his first save since Aug. 3.
Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor, Moreland and left fielder Josh
Hamilton each had two hits in the loss. Catcher Bobby Wilson, in his
third game since being claimed off the waiver wire from Tampa Bay,
drove in a pair of runs with a second-inning double.
The Mariners have now won their past six games against the Rangers.
Wilson gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead with a two-out, two-run bloop
double in the top of the second. Trumbo dove for the ball but
couldn't make the catch, allowing runners to score from first and
second base.
The Mariners got a run back on a third-inning balk, which brought
first baseman Logan Morrison in from third base to cut the deficit
to 2-1.
Morrison had doubled and moved to third on an infield single from
shortstop Ketel Marte. Hamels then appeared to pick off Marte trying
to steal second base. But home plate umpire Toby Basner called a
balk on Hamels, allowing Morrison to score while putting Marte at
second.
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A wild pitch in the top of the fourth scored Moreland as the Rangers
extended their lead to 3-1. That came after Trumbo misplayed another
fly ball to put Moreland at third.
Trumbo made up for his defensive mishaps with a leadoff homer in the
fifth, pulling Seattle within 3-2.
Cruz opened the next inning with his 32nd home run of the season,
and his seventh in six games, to tie the score before Cano went deep
to give Seattle its first lead of the game.
Afterward, Banister was hot about a four-minute replay challenge
that resulted in a decision from the Major League Baseball offices
that the play should not have been challenged in the first place.
With runners on first and second base, Seattle shortstop Ketel Marte
took a throw from first and didn't appear to touch the bag. Banister
came out to question whether it was a "neighborhood play," meaning a
call that can't be challenged because the fielder was stepping out
of the way of an oncoming runner, and was told that it was not. The
MLB later ruled that it was a "neighborhood play."
"There was no intent whatsoever (for Marte to throw to first for a
double play), so I don't see how it could be a neighborhood play,"
Banister said. "Absolutely no way it's a neighborhood play."
The Rangers ended up scoring a run on a wild pitch in that inning,
but a reversal of the call would have loaded the bases with no outs.
NOTES: The Rangers acquired 1B Mike Napoli from Boston before
Friday's game. Napoli was acquired for cash considerations and the
possibility of a player to be named later, but Napoli was not active
for Friday's game. Banister said after the game that Napoli will be
in the lineup Saturday. ... Friday marked the second start as a
Ranger for LHP Cole Hamels, who was acquired from Philadelphia just
before the trade deadline. ... Seattle SS Ketel Marte and LHP Rob
Rasmussen were making their Mariners home debuts Friday night.
Rasmussen was acquired in a deadline deal, while Marte was called up
from Triple-A after Seattle made a series of deadline moves. ...
While a pair of southpaw starters will be on the mound Saturday --
the Rangers' Martin Perez and Seattle's Mike Montgomery -- don't
expect the left-handed power to drop off. Texas DH Prince Fielder
(seven) and Mariners 3B Kyle Seager (six) are the two leading
left-on-left home run hitters in the American League this season.
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