Mariners notebook: Defense has played role in 1st-inning struggles

ARLINGTON – It has been almost a week since a Mariners starter pitched a clean first inning. On May 31 in Seattle, Hisashi Iwakuma threw a 1-2-3 first inning in the Mariners 16-4 win over the Padres. In the four games before Sunday’s series finale in Texas, the starters had surrendered 16 runs in the first inning, finding themselves behind the eight-ball from the get-go. While it is a nine inning game, giving up multiple early runs can change the tone of the game quickly, and it is not just about the impact on the bullpen.

“It makes it tough on the offense, as good as our offense has been,” manager Scott Servais pointed out following Saturday night’s loss Saturday. “It does suck a little life out of you. It takes so much pressure off the other pitcher when he’s got three, four or five runs to work with early. He can go to all of his pitches and he is not on edge, and we like the guy to be on edge a little more at the plate.”

Sound familiar? It’s exactly what Mariners hitters have been doing to opposing starters for the majority of the year. The Rangers have treated the Mariners to a taste of their own medicine. And it has been bitter.

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Defense has played into the early runs. It’s not tough to see a couple of situations – including in the first inning Saturday night – where center fielder Leonys Martin most likely would have made the play if not injured and in the lineup. Doubles are turned into outs and the starter gets out of the first inning with his pitch count at a reasonable number.

“Nothing to slight the guys that are out there,” Servais said. “Marte and Martin, when we put the club together – with Leonys especially – a big factor in acquiring him was the defense. I think he is one of the elite defenders in center field, and no matter who you put out there it is going to be a little bit of a fallback. We will continue to weather the storm.”

“We’re okay,” he added. “We’ll get after it (Sunday) and hopefully get off to a little bit better start in the game and we will be fine.”

A zero on the scoreboard in the first inning Sunday was a good start.

Pitching probables for the series against the Indians:

Monday: James Paxton vs. Trevor Bauer
Tuesday: Wade Miley vs. Carlos Carrasco
Wednesday: Taijuan Walker vs. Danny Salazar
Thursday: Nathan Karns vs Josh Tomlin