Big at-bats add up to a big comeback for the Mariners

The Mariners served notice Sunday afternoon at Safeco Field that very few leads will be safe against them this year. While the offense may need to hold things down until the starting pitching gets figured out – and how odd does that sound? – with a lineup that showed that it is indeed capable of stringing together good at-bats and Nelson Cruz looming in the middle of the order, this team can score runs.

The Mariners overcame an inning where their No. 2 starter gave up seven runs and they later came back against an elite closer who had yet to allow a run to them in 27 2/3 career innings. The Mariners trailed 7-2 heading into the bottom of the third inning and 10-5 going into the bottom of the seventh. When all was said and done, however, they came away with a 11-10 win over the Rangers, their fourth come-from-behind victory of the young season.

“I’ve said this before: this team is a very gritty bunch. They’re built for this. They’re tough,” manager Lloyd McClendon said afterward. “We have a nice mix of veterans and young players. This team is built for greatness. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I like where we are.”

Where they are offensively would seem to be light years beyond what we have seen in the recent past. After scoring two runs on solo homers by Austin Jackson and Cruz in the first inning, the Mariners saw their early lead destroyed when James Paxton had a strange third inning. A bunt, an error, and a bounce – nothing lethal until a Jake Smolinski home run – but a little added up to a lot and before you knew it there was a seven spot up on the board.

Seven runs in one inning can rock just about any team, especially a team that has experienced the early struggles like the Mariners, but in the bottom half of the inning Cruz hit a three-run home run and the deficit was down to two. Just like that, it was game on. How often did we see that last year?

The three runs the Mariners would need at that point if the pitching could hold the Rangers down seemed doable with six innings to go, but then Texas put up three more in the sixth. How doable was a half dozen runs in three innings?

In the past few years, not very doable. Add Rangers closer Neftali Feliz throwing gas. Two days earlier he topped out at 94 mph in his 1-2-3 ninth-inning save of the Rangers’ 3-1 win over the Mariners. On Sunday he came in firing 96 and topped out at 98, but the Mariners were undaunted.

Feliz was the fifth reliever that Rangers manager Jeff Banister went to and he asked for extra. Feliz would be asked to get two outs in the eighth inning and three in the ninth. He would start by coming into what is largely an unfamiliar situation for a closer with the tying run on base and the winning run at the plate. Two runs and 14 pitches later, Feliz was allowed to go back to the dugout. He would have to return to the mound in the ninth, however, and with just a one-run lead.

This would not be a repeat of the 1-2-3 inning he had Friday night. Brad Miller led off the inning and reached on a single. Logan Morrison followed and flew out on the second pitch of the at-bat. What little breathing room Feliz had was quickly exhausted by an eight-pitch walk to Seth Smith. Jackson followed with another eight-pitch at-bat, this one ending up in a game-tying single. Rickie Weeks tacked on another four pitches with a fly ball to center. Feliz was now at 38 pitches with the middle of the order coming up. Feliz said – and the radar gun would indicate – he was still strong despite the pitch count.

“Most of the pitches were hitting the spots I wanted to hit,” he said after the game through an interpreter. “They were just making enough contact to stay in and fight off the pitches.”

With two outs and the game tied, it was now pick-your-poison time. Cano or Cruz? Feliz had just faced Cruz for the first time in the eighth inning and struck him out. Cano got the free pass and Cruz hit the game winner, pulling a two-strike, two-out, 96-mph fastball to left field to score Smith.

“I was just trying to keep the ball low on Cruz; he’s a good hitter,” Feliz said. “That ball he hit at the end was a low ball and he made good contact on it.”

That he did. Good at-bats and good contact added up to a good win. A very good win. Yes, it was great to see Cruz’s MLB-leading seventh and eighth home runs of the season, but perhaps even better were the good at-bats. Smith seeing 13 pitches in two at-bats after coming off the bench. Jackson hitting his first home run as a Mariner and then the game-tying hit on the eighth pitch he saw. Kyle Seager with good at-bats throughout the game that resulted in three RBIs. The Mariners made things incredibly tough on the opposing pitchers Sunday and it would be great to see that become the norm.

We’ve seen a glimpse of what this offense can be. Now, about that starting pitching.

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