Drayer: Mariners find payoff in not trying to do too much
Sep 20, 2023, 8:50 AM
Teoscar Hernández of the Seattle Mariners scores on a single by Jarred Kelenic. (Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
(Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Not trying to do too much played a key role in the Seattle Mariners scoring seven runs in their win Tuesday night over Oakland.
Tuesday: Mariners beat A’s 7-2, inch within 1/2 game of AL West lead
Offensive performances that stood out came from Jarred Kelenic, who took what was given to him and served up a couple of singles the other way, and Teoscar Hernández, who reached base four times.
Hernández, who was in need of positive results after going 3 for 24 on the Mariners’ recent homestand, joined me for the walkoff interview on the Mariners Radio Network broadcast.
“I was being a little bit too aggressive the last 10 days,” Hernández admitted after Tuesday’s 7-2 win. “Today I just tried to calm myself down, get a good pitch and good contact.”
Hernández realized he had gotten away from what he had been doing in August, when he was one of the hottest hitters in the American League. For the month, he hit seven home runs and nine doubles with 22 RBIs and a 1.050 OPS.
“Every time I am going good is when I am patient at the plate, trying to get my pitch and not swinging at everything. Just try and get one in the strike zone that I can put in play.”
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While he had two hits on Tuesday, one a 104.5 mph RBI double, Hernández pointed to two plate appearances that did not involve contact as his best of the night.
“The two walks,” he said. “I’m not a guy that walks a lot, so every time I get a walk it feels good because I know it takes a lot of the player to fight the at-bats and take the walk.”
Hernández also showed off his legs in the win, stealing his seventh base of the season and scoring from second on a Kelenic single to short left. That aspect of his game he was somewhat jokingly less enthusiastic about.
The full interview, which includes his appreciation for Luis Castillo and thoughts on what is coming up with three games in Texas next, can be heard in the podcast at this link or in the player near the top of this post.
More on the Seattle Mariners
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• Which big bats could M’s get this winter? Watch for trades, says Morosi
• Drayer’s Seattle Mariners Notebook: Talks play role in needed win
