LDN - Sports

Lind haunts Cardinals, lifts Mariners to win

[June 25, 2016] SEATTLE -- St. Louis closer Trevor Rosenthal doesn't know what the future might hold, and he's not even sure what's gone on in the recent past. Having blown his third save in his last 12 opportunities on Friday night, Rosenthal didn't have many answers.

"Obviously, it's not fun that I gave that up in that situation, after we battled hard," Rosenthal said after serving up a three-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning of a 4-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners. "Obviously, that's not fun. But I felt like I went out there and tried to make some pitches."

It wasn't enough Friday night, and now the big question is how much longer Rosenthal will keep his role as closer.

Former Cardinal Adam Lind hit a three-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Mariners snapped their six-game losing streak and dealt Rosenthal another blow. The homer, which came after a leadoff double and a walk, led to Rosenthal's third blown save in 17 chances this season.

"I thought he had good velocity," manager Mike Matheny said of Rosenthal, "but the walk was obviously an issue. It put us up against a wall, and with the winning run at the plate, that's always a recipe for bad things to happen."

Seattle third baseman Kyle Seager, whose eighth-inning error had allowed St. Louis to take a 3-1 lead, led off the bottom of the ninth with a double off the left-field wall. Dae-Ho Lee walked, setting the table for Lind to beat his former team with his 11th home run of the season, a no-doubt shot to right field. He swung at the first pitch, delivering the game-winner.

"I wanted to take the first pitch just because two guys got on base," Lind said. "They had a meeting on the mound, I know Trevor has been in that situation many times ... but I wanted to see a pitch, and see if he was going to be in the (strike) zone."

Seattle reliever Donn Roach (1-0), called up earlier in the day to add an arm to the bullpen, earned the win. Rosenthal (2-3) took the loss as the Cardinals had a three-game winning streak snapped.

The Cardinals' Aledmys Diaz and Matt Holliday drove in runs in the eighth, when the big blow came on an error on Seager that allowed two runs to score.

St. Louis (38-34) spoiled another strong outing from starter Carlos Martinez, who allowed one run off four hits over seven innings.

"Carlos had a terrific start and we were able to make something happen there in the eighth," Matheny said. "It's a shame that we couldn't finish that one."

Seattle starter Wade LeBlanc, called up from Triple-A earlier in the day to make his first major league start since 2014, threw six shutout innings of three-hit ball but did not factor into the decision. He left the mound after the Mariners took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, but the Cardinals overcame that with a three-run eighth.

"That (start) is what you hope for," said LeBlanc, who pitching in the Toronto Blue Jays' minor league system earlier in the week. "You can't plan for that, but it's what you hope for."

LeBlanc, a converted reliever who spent the 2015 season in Japan, owns the distinction of having the major league's longest scoreless streak, at 23 1/3 innings after Friday's performance.

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Mariners designated hitter Adam Lind (26) celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off three-run homer against the St. Louis Cardinals during the ninth inning at Safeco Field. Seattle defeated St. Louis, 4-3. Seattle Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager (15) is at right. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Mariners reliever Joaquin Benoit was responsible for most of the eighth-inning damage, as two walks and a hit batsman loaded the bases before his third walk of the inning drove in a one-out run to tie the score 1-1. Benoit came out of the game, replaced by recent call-up Roach, and Seager whiffed on a routine ground ball, bringing in two more runs. One of them was earned, resulting in Holliday's game-winning RBI.

Seattle's Lee drove in the first run of the game with a bases-loaded groundout to third in the sixth inning. Lee's high chopper with one out brought in Seth Smith from third base for a 1-0 Mariners lead.

The Mariners didn't get their first hit until left fielder Seth Smith led off the fourth with a single. Seager added a two-out single to put runners on the corners, but the Cardinals' Martinez got out of the inning with a weak grounder to second.

Seattle's LeBlanc held St. Louis to a pair of singles over the first four innings before the Cardinals' Brandon Moss doubled with one out in the fifth. LeBlanc got out of that jam to keep the game scoreless through five.

Moss added another double in the top of the ninth.

NOTES: St. Louis 1B Matt Adams (back spasms) was a late scratch. Jedd Gyorko replaced Adams in the starting lineup. ... The pitching-strapped Mariners made a series of moves Friday afternoon. The transactions included LHP Wade LeBlanc being selected from Triple-A Tacoma to start Friday's game and veteran OF Norichika Aoki being optioned to Triple-A. Aoki, 34, was hitting .245 as the Mariners' every-day left fielder before the Mariners decided Friday to send him down for his first non-rehab stint in the minors. Also on the move Friday were RHP Tom Wilhelmsen, who was sent to Tacoma; RHP Adrian Sampson, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sore elbow; RHP Tony Zych, who was transferred from the 15- to the 60-day disabled list; RHP Donn Roach, who was selected from Tacoma; and LHP David Rollins, who was recalled from Tacoma. ... The Cardinals went into the series on a three-game winning streak, having swept the rival Cubs, but they had lost five consecutive games played against AL West competition. ... St. Louis OF Matt Holliday went into Friday's game with 26 hits as a National League designated hitter, putting him three behind Atlanta's Chipper Jones for third on the NL's all-time list. ... Before Friday's game, the Cardinals had won eight consecutive away games, which marked the franchise's longest road winning streak since 1982.

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