BRENT STECKER

Notebook: Scott Servais says Mariners getting back ‘to what we do,’ but still looking for more

Apr 15, 2017, 4:04 PM

Danny Valencia has had trouble taking advantage of fastballs early in the count, according to Scott...

Danny Valencia has had trouble taking advantage of fastballs early in the count, according to Scott Servais. (AP)

(AP)

With the Mariners’ 2-1 win over the Texas Rangers in Friday night’s series opener, manager Scott Servais saw the beginning of the team doing what he sees as its strength.

“Like I said all along, we gotta get back to what we do, and the core of what we do is controlling the strike zone,” Servais said before Saturday’s Game 2, set for 6:10 on 710 ESPN Seattle. “We did that last night.”

A big factor was the outing by ace Felix Hernandez, who Servais said “set the tone” by allowing just one run on six hits and no walks, looking mighty efficient by needing just 89 pitches to go 7 1/3 innings. Servais said Seattle’s offense held up its end of the bargain in that regard, too. Texas starting pitcher Marin Perez held the M’s to a run, but he was chased after just five innings as the Mariners had six hits and four walks off of him to get his pitch count up to 98.

“I know Perez got a few double play balls, but we were grinding out at-bats,” Servais said.

There’s still a few players in Seattle’s lineup that Servais is looking for to get back to doing what they do best, though – namely first baseman Danny Valencia and center fielder Leonys Martin.

Dipoto: Mariners giving Leonys Martin room to work out swing

For Valencia, whose 0-for-3 performance on Friday dropped him to a .132 average, that would be getting back on track against fastballs.

“His pitch is the fastball. He’s gotten some fastballs, he hasn’t hit them, hasn’t put them in play,” Servais said. “And when you don’t get the one early in the count in play, now you get the nasty stuff later in the count. The hard breaking balls, the split-fingers, stuff like that. In his scenario, in his situation, he’s getting some pitches to hit, he’s not hitting them right now. He knows that. You gotta stay on the fastball.”

The left-handed-hitting Martin, who has just three hits in 36 at-bats and sat on Friday with southpaw Perez opposing the Mariners, is in the midst of trying to straighten out his approach after making offseason adjustments that haven’t been all that productive. Servais noted that teams have been shifting to the right side against Martin, as he tends to hit a lot of ground balls aimed at right field, and an emphasis on trying to go the other way hasn’t been successful.

“All of the sudden you get conscious about ‘I have to hit the ball the other way.’ That’s not really his strength, so he’s trying to do something that’s not really his strength against the best pitchers in the world and now all of the sudden we don’t have anything going. So, just hit the ball hard. On the ground, in the air, left field, right field, I don’t care. Just put a good swing on it. Do what you do.”

Martin will get the chance to do that Saturday as he’s hitting eighth against Texas starter Andrew Cashner, but unlike last season, he doesn’t have as long of a leash due to more depth in the outfield for Seattle.

“He just needs to take advantage of the opportunity. This is where we’re at,” Servais said. “Last year on our club he really stood out being the center fielder, being more of the speed guy. We’ve got other guys on the team now that bring the same type of qualities, so I have more versatility in mixing and matching what we want to do with our outfield. … He needs to get it going offensively, there’s no doubt.”

Notes

• Jean Segura, who was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a mild hamstring strain on Tuesday, was on the field taking ground balls at shortstop during batting practice. Servais expressed the belief earlier in the week that Segura wouldn’t have to miss any more than the required 10 days, which he would put his return at late next week.

• Like all MLB teams Saturday, each member of the Mariners will be wearing No. 42 with no surnames on their uniforms in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. The idea for all MLB players to wear No. 42 on Jackie Robinson Day actually started with Mariners legend and Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., whose statue – complete with a a patch in honor of Robinson – was unveiled in front of Safeco Field on Thursday.

• Seattle lefty James Paxton will make his third start of the season Saturday (full lineups here) after the Mariners switched him and Hisashi Iwakuma following Thursday’s day off. This will be Paxton’s second start at Safeco Field in 2017, as he took the ball in the home opener last Monday, while Iwakuma will make his home debut in Sunday’s series finale.

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Notebook: Scott Servais says Mariners getting back ‘to what we do,’ but still looking for more