News
Mariners walking off along with AL's best
Seattle (66-61) vs. Kansas City (48-78), 7:10 p.m. PT
By Christian Caple / MLB.com
08/27/09 1:00 AM ET
SEATTLE -- The Mariners might not make the playoffs, but that doesn't mean they don't know how to provide a little drama for anyone who sticks around to watch the end of their games. Ryan Langerhans' two-run, walk-off home run in the 10th inning on Tuesday gave the Mariners their 11th walk-off victory this season, tied with the Yankees for most in the American League. That's one shy of the club record. The 1986 Mariners had 12 walk-off hits. It makes sense that Seattle would be among the league leaders in that category, given its tendency to play one-run games this year. The Mariners are 28-16 in one-run contests this season, they've won 12 of their past 15 and they're only three wins short of the club record of 31 one-run decisions. Those 28 wins are the most in the Majors, six ahead of the second-place Dodgers. And the Mariners also lead the AL with 19 wins when scoring three or fewer runs. So when you play -- and win -- that many close games, chances are, you're going to win a few in your final at-bat. "I think what builds up to that is the fact that we stay in games throughout the game," manager Don Wakamatsu said. "Knock on wood; we don't have a lot of games where we're blown out early. We stay in a lot of games, and that's a credit to the pitching staff." Langerhans has ended two games with home runs this season, the first two walk-off blasts of his career. He became the 12th player in Mariners history with at least two walk-off homers in one season, and Tuesday's game-ender was the fourth walk-off hit of his career. A quiet offense is part of the reason why the Mariners have had to win so many games late, but they never seem to get discouraged by the fact that they don't score early. "I think there's a belief system in the offense that if we don't score early, we'll have enough time to maybe manufacture some stuff," Wakamatsu said. "I'm proud of these guys because they don't give up." Seattle begins a four-game series against the Kansas City Royals on Thursday at Safeco Field. Pitching matchupSEA: RHP Doug Fister (1-0, 2.21 ERA)
Fister took another step forward Saturday against the Indians. Although he didn't get the win, Fister pitched well in his third start. He gave up just two earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts and one walk in 6 1/3 innings. The Indians applied plenty of pressure on the rookie right-hander, who was making his first start away from Safeco Field. But he handled it like a veteran, inducing two ground-ball double plays to limit the damage. KC: RHP Kyle Davies (4-9, 6.12 ERA)
In his last outing against the Twins, Davies gave up six runs in 5 2/3 innings although he allowed just four hits along with three walks. The bullpen let in two of the runs charged against him. Since returning from exile at Triple-A Omaha, Davies has won just one of four starts although he pitched really poorly only in his first outing. However, that happened to be against the Mariners and he gave up eight runs on eight hits in just 3 2/3 innings. Overall Davies has won just two of his last 13 starts. Tidbits
Chris Jakubauskas threw another bullpen session on Wednesday, and will pitch on Friday and Sunday for Triple-A Tacoma. He should be activated on Sept. 1, Wakamatsu said. ... Ichiro Suzuki sat out for the third consecutive game on Wednesday with tightness in his left calf. He might take batting practice on the field on Thursday, though there is no timetable for his return. He's not expected to go on the disabled list. Since making his debut in 2001, Ichiro has played in 1,396 games, most in the Majors during that span. He's missed just 26 games in his career. Seattle is 17-9 when he doesn't play. ... Adrian Beltre, sidelined with a contused testicle, ran the bases on Wednesday and is continuing to progress. It's not known yet whether he will come off the DL on Aug. 28, the date he is eligible to return. Tickets
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• Friday: Mariners (Felix Hernandez, 12-5, 2.73) vs. Royals (Brian Bannister, 7-10, 4.50), 7:10 p.m. PT
• Saturday: Mariners (Ian Snell, 4-9, 5.37) vs. Royals (Gil Meche, 6-9, 4.75), 7:10 p.m. PT
• Sunday: Mariners (Ryan Rowland-Smith, 2-1, 4.05) vs. Royals (Zack Greinke, 12-8, 2.43), 1:10 p.m. PT
Christian Caple is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
