Yes, it’s another day game, the last game of a road trip on which the Mariners have gone 3-2.
Erik Bedard vs. Gavin Floyd, and a healthy Bedard has been a force in April. He has struck out 29 batters in 26 innings and walked only four. That’s the best strikeout-to-walk ratio in the game.
What the Mariners need today is some production from No. 3 hitter Ken Griffey Jr. (.196) and No. 4 hitter Adrian Beltre (.169)- as much for those players as for the team.
Here’s the Seattle lineup:
Ichiro RF
Lopez 2B
Griffey Jr. DH
Beltre 3B
Branyan 1B
Balentien LF
Johnson C
Gutierrez CF
Betancourt SS
Bedard RHP
The very thought of you
Griffey may not be hitting his weight, but pitchers still work to him cautiously. With two outs and no one on, right-hander Gavin Floyd walked Junior on four pitches.
Beltre followed with a double, and Griffey was held up at third base.
Russell Branyan grounded out.
Griffey now has 11 hits this season – and 13 walks.
That’s No. 100
On a 1-0 pitch to the first batter of the second inning, Bedard left a fastball over the plate and A.J. Pierzynski hit it out – the 100th home run of his career.
Bedard’s command is clearly off a bit. He needed 24 first-inning pitches to get three outs, and he’s already walked two batters and hit a third.
Rob Johnson threw out two runners attempting to steal in the second inning or Bedard might still be working.
Beltre lives!
Jose Lopez led off with a double and Adrian Belte singled him to third base, then stole second. He’s 2-for-2 today.
Russell Branyan popped out. Balentien popped out. That’s six Mariners baserunners stranded in the first three innings.
Little hits, little ball
Ichiro’s ground ball hit first base and bounced high for an infield single. Jose Lopez followed with an infield single that handcuffed third baseman Wilson Betemit.
Junior doubled to left center field, scoring two runs – Griffey’s fourth and fifth RBI of the year.
Beltre’s third hit was a single up the middle, scoring Griffey. Beltre now has 10 RBI.
To the bottom of the fifth: Mariners 3, White Sox 1
Five and good day?
Bedard has thrown 89 pitches through five innings, and may not have much left.
He hasn’t had an easy afternoon – one 1-2-3 inning – and so many of his pitches have come under duress. He’s thrown 100 or more pitchs in each of his last three starts, so Bedard may start the sixth inning, but don’t expect him to go much further.
In the sixth: Mariners 3, White Sox 1
Oops
Bedard had nothing left and gave up back-to-back singles before the Mariners went to reliever Shawn Kelley.
Wilson Betemit doubled home a run, then Kelley struck out Brian Anderson.
With the infield playing in to cut off the potential tying run, the White Sox scored on Alexi Ramirez’s sacrifice fly.
That tied it and ensured Bedard a no-decision. He didn’t pitch poorly, just wasn’t at his best. The line on Bedard: five innings, six hits, three runs, three walks, three strikeouts, 92 pitches.
After six: White Sox 3, Mariners 3
Oops, and oops again
Kelley, the rookie who has pitched so well in April, gave up back-to-back home runs to Carlos Quentin (No. 8) and Jermaine Dye (No. 6), and was replaced by David Aardsma.
Those are the first runs allowed in Kelley’s career, and they may hand him his first loss.
After seven: White Sox 5, Mariners 3
That’ll do it!
It’s a final, 6-3.
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