By Chris Rahill
The Seattle Mariners continue to push forward in their attempt to take over the top spot in the American League West. Although the club has gone just 5-5 since the All-Star break, a recent slump by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim now has Seattle finding itself just two games out of first place in the division standings.
The Mariners’ climb towards the top has not been an easy one, as they have trailed the Angels by as many as eight games over the last month. Seattle’s resurgence began about three weeks ago, as they won nine of 10 games to close out the month of June. The winning carried over into early July and at 13 games above .500 (54-41), Seattle is very much alive in both the races for the AL West crown and the league’s wild card spot.
The Mariners closed the gap in AL West earlier this week by taking two out of three games from the Baltimore Orioles. However, they failed to capitalize on the momentum, as they dropped two out of three games to the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend.
Seattle opened the series with a 4-2 win on Friday night. Starter Miguel Batista earned his 10th win of the season, limiting the Blue Jays to just two runs on five hits through 5 2/3 innings. The Mariners’ bullpen took care of the rest, holding the Blue Jays scoreless over the final 3 1/3 innings. Closer J.J. Putz continued his dominance by collecting his 29th save of the season.
Seattle registered just six hits in the win, but received a two-run homer from Adrian Beltre in the fourth inning to take control of the game.
Friday’s win would be the last for Seattle, as it dropped two straight to end the series. The Mariners lost a 1-0 heartbreaker on Saturday despite an outstanding effort from starter Jeff Weaver. The right-hander was dominant in the loss, allowing just one run on four hits through eight innings. However, the Mariners’ struggles at the plate continued, as they collected just three hits in the loss.
Seattle’s hitting problems were evident again during Sunday’s 8-0 setback, as the Mariners were held to a meaningless three hits for a second straight day.
Starting pitcher Felix Hernandez was saddled with the loss after surrendering six runs on seven hits through six innings. The Mariners also suffered a meltdown in the fifth inning that led to the ejection of manager John McLaren.
SUZUKI SIGNED THROUGH 2012
Although the trade deadline is still a week away, the Mariners have already made their most important move of the season by re-signing center fielder Ichiro Suzuki to a five-year contract extension. The re-signing was a must for Seattle, which would have had to go through a bidding war for Suzuki during the offseason.
Suzuki did not come cheap, signing for a reported $90 million over the next five years, but the deal, which was finalized on July 13, will keep the All- Star in Seattle through the 2012 season.
Signing Suzuki before the offseason gives merit to the Mariners’ stance that they are dedicated to building a winner. Ichiro has been the cornerstone of the franchise since joining Seattle in 2000. He has more than 200 hits in each of his seven major league seasons while earning a Gold Glove in each of the past six years.
Suzuki has continued to thrill this season, batting .346 with 136 hits on the year. Just two weeks ago, he recorded the first inside-the-park home run in All-Star Game history on his way to being named the contest’s MVP. He became the first Mariner to garner the honor since Ken Griffey Jr. did so in 1992.
Suzuki’s deal includes much more than the reported $90 million in guaranteed salary. The Japanese star will also receive a $5 million signing bonus, a yearly housing allowance, a new car, a personal trainer and interpreter, plus four first class tickets from Seattle to Japan each year.
Executive vice president Bill Bavasi spoke about the importance of re-signing Suzuki and what the outfielder has meant to the Mariners and the city of Seattle.
“This is a tremendously important day for our ballclub, the club’s fans and for Ichiro, but more importantly, it’s a real exciting day for us,” Bavasi said. “Ichiro is a cornerstone that you use to build a winning club. He plays hard, he plays the game right, he sets a great example for our younger players, and any players, just based on his dedication and his preparation.”
As for Ichiro, he is happy to be able to call Seattle home for the next five seasons.
“Well, I can’t say there was a particular day that I decided [to stay],” said Suzuki. “But during the season we go to different teams, different places on the road, and the fans from opposing teams always told me, ‘Please come here, please come to our team,’ in many different places. To be honest, I was moved during those times, and also the fans in Japan [who] asked me to come back to Japan to play. But in the end, when I came back to Seattle and the fans here asked me to stay here, that was a moment that meant the most to me and that’s when I decided.”
REITSMA GIVES PEN A BOOST
Chris Reitsma’s return to the Seattle bullpen has given the Mariners a solid right-handed set-up man. Unfortunately, the Mariners will be unable to gauge Reitsma’s long term affect until he proves that he can be called upon on a nightly basis. The oft-injured hurler has spent the majority of this season on the disabled list, missing time from April 19 to June 4 with an elbow injury only to go back on the DL from June 11 to July 5 for the same reason.
Reitsma has been solid since re-joining the club earlier this month, having allowed just one run over his last four appearances. He has shown power and control on the mound and has given the Mariners another option in the late innings. However, the right-hander has yet to pitch on consecutive nights and many in the organization are unsure as to how his elbow will respond.
If Reitsma is able to regain full strength and become a solid reliever, the Mariners may have found the missing piece to a run at the AL West crown. However, if his troublesome elbow limits his playing time, the Mariners may have to hit the market in search of another setup man.
Reitsma is confident that his elbow is ready for the test. He has dealt with elbow problems in the past and believes that he is more than ready to pitch on back-to-back nights.
“At this point in time, I feel I am fully able to do that,” he said. “I realize there are going to be days when I wake up after pitching the night before and my elbow will ache a little. But I don’t anticipate anything happening to debilitate me the rest of the way. If it stays like this, I definitely can pitch in back-to-back games.”
McLaren will be proactive in testing Reitsma’s endurance, but is not going to do anything that may jeopardize the health of his already-stellar bullpen.
“When you are coming off an injury, pitching back-to-back is one step back,” McLaren said. “We had that issue with (Brandon) Morrow, because he had never done it before. We got over that hurdle a little bit and now we have to do the same with Chris.”
WHO’S HOT
Designated hitter Jose Vidro has been hot out of the break, hitting safely in five of his last six games and going 15-for-39 (.385) at the plate since July 6. Vidro, who is a career .301 hitter, is batting .299 with 47 runs scored this season.
WHO’S NOT
Raul Ibanez is battling through a slump right now, going just 4-for-35 at the plate over his last 10 games. He has gone hitless in four of his last five outings and was a pitiful 1-for-12 during the Toronto series. The outfielder is batting .258 with six home runs and 57 RBI on the season.
ON DECK
The Mariners will travel to Arlington for a four-game set against the Texas Rangers beginning Monday. The opener will feature Horacio Ramirez (5-2, 5.89) and Texas ace Kevin Millwood (6-8, 5.50). Tuesday’s double-header will kick off with a showdown between Mariners lefty Jarrod Washburn (8-7, 4.02) and John Rheinecker (0-0. 12.00), with Ryan Feierabend (1-3, 9.31) pitching the nightcap for Seattle opposite Kameron Loe (5-8, 5.69). Wednesday night’s finale will feature Batista (10-7, 4.32) and Brandon McCarthy (4-7, 5.53).
