Mariners wait out Ohtani, score 4 in 8th to beat Angels 5-1 and win series
Sep 26, 2021, 4:55 PM | Updated: 6:34 pm
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani wasn’t enough to keep the Los Angeles Angeles from their sixth straight losing season.
Mariners 5, Angels 1: Box score
Ohtani allowed Jarred Kelenic’s tying home run in the seventh inning, and Mitch Haniger hit a go-ahead single in a four-run eighth against the bullpen that lifted the Seattle Mariners over the Angels 5-1 Sunday.
Coming up BIG in the 8th. #SeaUsRise pic.twitter.com/Roqw8ZqSRp
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) September 26, 2021
Ohtani gave up one run and five hits in seven innings with 10 strikeouts and no walks. He remained 9-2 and lowered his ERA to 3.18 with 156 strikeouts and 44 walks in 130 1/3 innings.
Los Angeles is 75-82 and has not had a winning season since going 85-77 in 2015.
“It’s very frustrating, it’s very disappointing,” Ohtani said through a translator. “I always look forward to being in the playoff race in the end and trying to talk about the playoffs with my teammates. I always think about that, so this year, it’s disappointing.”
Ohtani reached double-digit strikeouts for the fourth time this season and second start in a row. If he makes another start, it would also be against the Mariners.
“It’s hard to tell you at this point,” Ohtani said. “I haven’t talked to anybody on the team about it so I think I will take it day by day.”
He was 1 for 3 at the plate and is hitting .258 with 98 RBIs and 45 homers, one behind co-leaders Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero and Kansas City’s Salvador Perez. He has just one home run since Sept. 10.
Seattle has won seven of eight and will enter the final week two games back for the AL’s second wild card with six games remaining. Toronto is also a game in front of the Mariners. Seattle remained alive by going 8-2 on their final road trip of the season.
Marco Gonzales (10-5) gave up one run on three hits over seven innings, improving to 7-0 in his last nine starts. Kurt Suzuki homered in the second, his 14th this season.
“I have one more regular-season start left and to come home and be in front of our fans again, I hope they’re ready to see something special,” Gonzales said. ”Just the way this team has played and for all the people who doubted us along the way, this is for them.”
Kelenic homered on a slider from Ohtani, who had escaped two-on trouble in the fifth and sixth innings.
jarred hit the ball so hard that it broke our audio feed 😲 pic.twitter.com/F6G2DtAdhb
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) September 26, 2021
Crawford doubled in the eighth and Kyle Seager singled against Jose Quijada (0-2). Haniger’s RBI single came against Austin Warren, and Jake Fraley added a three-run double.
“Coming into games like today, when you have to win, you find out a lot about your players,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “Certainly the young guys who have gone through this stretch with us here, all these the meaningful games, you learn a lot. Jarred learned a lot and I’m sure it was a confidence boost for him moving forward.”
HEADING HOME
Seattle finished with three games at home against wild-card contending Oakland and then three against the Angels.
TRAINERS ROOM
Angels: RHP Jaime Barria was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right-shoulder impingement. He ended his season with a 2-4 record and a 4.61 ERA in 11 starts and two relief appearances. The club recalled RHP Sam Selman from Triple-A Salt Lake.
UP NEXT
Mariners: RHP Chris Flexen (13-6, 3.56 ERA) is scheduled to start Monday.
Angels: LHP Packy Naughton (0-3, 5.23 ERA) tries for his first major league victory as he makes his fifth start Monday at Texas.
Drayer: With Kikuchi’s next start uncertain, could M’s turn to Matt Brash?
