Tagged: Mariners Mondays
Mariners Mondays – Taijuan Walker Impresses
On this week’s Mariners Mondays on ROOT SPORTS Taijuan Walker shows why he’s one of the most promising young pitchers in baseball.
On May 29, Walker turned in one of the best starts of his career with a 2-1 win over the Cleveland Indians. He gave up just two hits over eight innings, did not walk a batter and struck out eight for his first victory at Safeco Field. A two-run homer by outfielder Seth Smith was all the offense the Mariners would need to give Walker his second win of the season.
Two months later, Walker was even better as he tossed a one-hitter at Target Field for a 6-1 win over the Twins on July 31. It was his first complete game in 29 Major League starts and it was a crucial bounce-back for Walker, who had yielded 19 runs in his previous four starts. Nelson Cruz and Jesus Montero both homered to give the Mariners a 6-1 win. The game was also the Major League debut of Ketel Marte, who batted leadoff and played second.
Mariners Mondays airs every Monday night on ROOT SPORTS through March leading up to the season opener on Monday April 4 at Texas.
Mariners Mondays – Canó Connects
On this week’s Mariners Mondays on ROOT SPORTS Robinson Canó shows his old teammates he’s moved on, and leads a big comeback in Boston.
Mariners second baseman Robinson Canó was slumping when he met his former team, the New York Yankees, on July 18. His first half had been decidedly “Un-Canó-like,” and Yankees fans greeted him with a shower of boos. But he quieted the critics with a pair of two-run home runs that helped the Mariners end a seven-game skid against the Yankees. It was Canó’s 14th multi-homer game, and the first not in pinstripes, and it helped Hisashi Iwakuma post a 4-3 win over New York.
Canó came up big again a month later, this time in Boston, where he contributed five hits and three RBI in a wild 10-8 win over the Red Sox. Up 7-1 in the top of the 4th, the Mariners let Boston chip away until the Red Sox tied the score 8-8 with two out in the bottom of the 9th on Carson Smith’s blown save. Nelson Cruz and Franklin Gutierrez also contributed to the win with homers (two for Guti).
Mariners Mondays airs every Monday night on ROOT SPORTS through March leading up to the season opener on Monday April 4 at Texas.
Mariners Mondays – Felix Baffles Rangers
On this week’s Mariners Mondays on ROOT SPORTS Felix puts on a couple of pitching clinics against the Texas Rangers.
Battling a sore quad muscle, Felix managed to power through seven innings on Felix Hernandez Bobblehead Night on April 18. He allowed one run and two hits while striking out 10 or more batters for the 34th time in his brilliant career and the 3-1 win over the Texas Rangers. Felix got a boost from Mike Zunino, who homered, and Brad Miller, who connected for a two-out triple and an RBI.
Felix got an extra day of rest before his September 10 start, and it helped as he was again on his game against the Rangers. He struck out eight, gave up only three hits, and held Texas scoreless for the second consecutive game for a 5-0 win. Felix got a little help from his friends as Mark Trumbo hit a two-run homer in the first, and Nelson Cruz returned from a six game layoff to hit his 40th home run, a two-run shot in the 7th.
Mariners Mondays airs every Monday night on ROOT SPORTS through March leading up to the season opener on Monday April 4 at Texas.
Mariners Mondays – Great Finishes
There’s nothing quite like a walk-off win. Or getting the “W” with the last at-bat of the game. On the February 8 episode of Mariners Mondays on ROOT SPORTS we’ll relive some of those late-innings heroics from the 2015 season.
There were 21 games last season that the Mariners won on the last at-bat or as a walk-off. One of them was a 10-inning game at Tampa Bay on May 26. The Rays led the Mariners 1-0 until the 8th inning when Kyle Seager connected for a grand slam. But when the Rays answered with three runs in the bottom of the 9th, Kyle had to do it again, with a solo homer in the 10th to seal the victory.
For sheer enjoyment, there may not be anything more fun than a walk-off.
April 19, the walk-off came in regulation play when the Mariners defeated the Texas Rangers 11-10. The Mariners needed to overcome two five-run deficits to do it, but Nelson Cruz came through big with 5 RBI, including the game winner in the bottom of the 9th.
On May 8, the Mariners needed extra innings to best the Oakland A’s 4-3 when Logan Morrison delivered a solo home run on the first pitch of the 11th inning.
It was another extra innings affair on July 26 when the Mariners beat the Blue Jays 6-5 in 10. The hero was Franklin Gutierrez, who drove an 0-2 pitch over the wall in left-center field. Cruz’s bat also played a role when he tied the score 5-5 in the 7th with his 25th homer. Defense was also a highlight of the game as the Mariners turned a triple-play in the 4th inning.
Mariners Mondays airs every Monday night on ROOT SPORTS through March leading up to the season opener on Monday April 4 at Texas.
Mariners Mondays – Back-to-Back Shutouts
On this week’s Mariners Mondays on ROOT SPORTS two young Mariners pitchers deliver back-to-back shutouts.
Mike Montgomery gave the San Diego Padres “The Full Monty” on June 30 as he tossed a complete game, 5-0 win. He carried a no-hitter into the 7th and settled for a one-hitter after giving up a one-out ground rule double. It was Montgomery’s second consecutive shutout in only his sixth Big League start. With that feat, he joined such elite company as Randy Johnson, who did it three times with the Mariners, and Mark Langston, who did it twice.
The next night, July 1, Taijuan Walker matched Montgomery’s brilliance with his own one-hit wonder through six innings as the Mariners romped over the Padres 7-0. Walker matched Padres starter James Shields, who held the Mariners hitless through three and scoreless until the top of the 6th. Walker pitched through the 6th, and left with a 1-0 lead. That was all he would need for his seventh win, as Robinson Canó and Nelson Cruz led a nine hit attack on Shields and three members of the Padres bullpen.
Mariners Mondays airs every Monday night on ROOT SPORTS through March leading up to the season opener on Monday April 4 at Texas.
Mariners Mondays – A Sweep in Tampa
Mariners Mondays airs every Monday night on ROOT SPORTS through March leading up to the season opener on Monday April 4 at Texas.
On this week’s Mariners Mondays on ROOT SPORTS the Mariners sweep the Tampa Bay Rays thanks to timely hitting and outstanding pitching.
On Monday, April 25, the Mariners took a two-run lead in the top of the 1st on back-to-back singles by Robinson Canó and Nelson Cruz. Roenis Elias was outstanding and kept the Rays at bay until the bottom of the 6th when he surrendered a solo home run.
Canó drove in his second run of the game in the top of the 8th, and Mike Zunino sealed the offense in the 9th with a one-run home run making it 4-1 Mariners.
The next day, the Mariners scored two runs in the 1st, only to have the Rays answer with a pair off starter J.A. Happ. Tampa took the lead in the 3rd with a one-run single. The score stayed 3-2 until the 8th when Kyle Seager connected on a grand slam, his 10th home run of the season, making it 6-3 Seattle.
But the Rays were not going quietly, and they rallied for three runs in the 9th on a two-run bases-loaded double, and a throwing error by Robinson Canó snuffed what would have been an inning-ending double play.
In the 10th inning, it was Seager’s time to shine again. He sent a one-out pitch 417-feet over the center field wall to make the score 7-6. The Mariners bullpen hung on for a 1-2-3 bottom of the 10th and the win.
The next day, it was Felix on the mound looking for his 8th win of the season, and he was masterful. Felix spun a four-hitter, with the help of four double plays, for his second shutout of the season. He struck out eight and walked only one. Nelson Cruz also contributed when he crushed a 430-foot three-run home run in the top of the 9th to seal the victory and conclude the three-game sweep of the Rays.
The episode debuts Monday at 7 p.m. on ROOT SPORTS.
Mariners Mondays – August Gems From Kuma
Mariners Mondays airs every Monday night on ROOT SPORTS through March leading up to the season opener on Monday April 4 at Texas.
On this week’s Mariners Mondays on ROOT SPORTS two beauties from Hisashi Iwakuma.
August 2, Hisashi Iwakuma took the mound at Target Field, where he held the Twins scoreless until a solo home run in the bottom of the 9th. But the Twins’ pitching was also outstanding, and the Mariners had only managed one run themselves, a Nelson Cruz homer in the top of the 9th.
The Mariners didn’t score in the top of the 10th, and Fernando Rodney held the Twins scoreless in the bottom.
In the 11th inning, Logan Morrison gave the Mariners a one-run lead with an RBI double, and Austin Jackson tacked on two more with his two-run double, and Tom Wilhelmsen held the Twins for his second save.
Kuma picked up another win in his next start, 4-3 over the Rangers, on August 7. Both games were just a hint of what was to come next.
On August 12, Kuma used a wicked splitter and pinpoint control to throw the fourth individual no-hitter in Mariners history. He mastered the Baltimore Orioles, striking out seven and walking three. Kyle Seager served up some drama to open the 9th inning when he made a nifty over-the-shoulder catch for the first out in the inning. A ground-out and a liner to center field sealed Iwakuma’s gem and his place in MLB history as only the second Japanese born pitcher to throw a no-hitter. The Mariners scratched out three runs for the 3-0 win.
Mariners Offseason and Spring Training Programming
If you can’t wait for the baseball season to get started, you’re not alone. With that in mind, our radio (710 ESPN Seattle) and television (ROOT Sports) partners have confirmed their programming plans for the Mariners offseason as well as Spring Training.
Here’s a handy list so you don’t miss a minute of the action.
HOT STOVE SHOW ON 710 ESPN SEATTLE (all live)
CACTUS LEAGUE REPORT ON 710 ESPN SEATTLE (all live)
MARINERS MONDAYS
Beginning January 4, ROOT SPORTS NW will carry “Mariners Mondays” from 7:00-10:00 pm. Each show will feature 2-3 of the best Mariners games from the 2015 season. A total of 12 shows through March 21.
Mariners Mondays – The Openers
The New Year is upon us and Pitchers and Catchers report to Peoria, Arizona in a little over the month to kick off the 2015 season. To get you ready for baseball season, ROOT Sports begins its weekly Mariners Mondays show tonight from 7-10 pm (check your local listings).
The first installment of Mariners Mondays will focus on the 2014 season openers, both on the road in a 10-3 win over the Angels on March 31 and at home in a 5-3 win over the Angels on April 8 at Safeco Field.
In the 2014 opener, the Mariners fell behind early on a 2-run home run by Mike Trout in the first inning, but staged a comeback taking a 4-3 lead in the top of the 7th inning. Seattle added 6 runs in the 9th inning to reach double-digits in a season opener for the third time in club history. Felix Hernandez made his 7th career Opening Day start, earning the win to improve to 5-0 with a 1.52 ERA all-time on Opening Day.
Felix Hernandez struck out 11 batters in his Opening Day start vs. the Angels.
In the home opener on April 8, the Mariners improved to 5-2 in the young season with a 5-3 win over the Angels. Rookie southpaw James Paxton earned the win allowing 4 hits and 3 runs in 5.0 innings and designated hitter Corey Hart hit a pair of home runs going 2-for-4 with 4 RBI.
Corey Hart belted a pair of home runs in the 2014 home opener.
The next edition of Mariners Mondays will air next Monday (Jan. 12) from 7-10 pm. The episode will chronicle the Mariners historic three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in late August.
Cactus League Report & Mariners Mondays
Cactus League Report:
The Cactus League Report makes its Salty Señorita debut tonight from 7-9 p.m. at the Peoria location. Rick Rizzs, Dave Sims and Shannon Drayer will host the 2-hour show, and fans in the Valley of the Sun are invited to attended the radio show and meet the hosts and guests. Scheduled guests include Tony Blengino, Robby Thompson, Forrest Snow, Danny Hultzen, Shawn Kelley, Kyle Seager and Larry Stone from the Seattle Times. Fans can listen to the show in Seattle on ESPN 710 Seattle from 7-9 PT, and here is a link to listen online via Mariners.com.
Mariners Mondays:
Tonight on Mariners Mondays at 8pm on ROOT SPORTS, the Mariners turn on the offense.
The program includes highlights of two games from last August, both featuring some timely hitting by Mike Carp.
First up, August 29, Mariners vs. Angels. The Mariners and Angels are tied in the 8th inning at 3-3. Dustin Ackley, who already had a couple of hits and RBI, lead off the inning with a double. Carp sent the first pitch he saw into the Hit It Here Cafe in right field for a two-run homer. Final score, Mariners over Angels 5-3.
Mike Carp hit a 2-run home run vs. the Angels into the Hit it Here Cafe in right field Aug. 29, 2011. (Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
Ichiro also had two doubles and extended his hitting streak to a season high 12-games.
Rookie Tom Wilhelmsen got the win with one inning of relief.
Highlights of the second game, August 31 (again against the Angels), again featured some late inning heroics by Carp.
The Angels held a 1-0 lead behind the outstanding pitching of Dan Haren. Felix Hernandez is also pitching well, but the offense is stalled. In the 8th inning (again), the Mariners rally with two outs when Franklin Gutierrez and Ackley hit back-to-back singles to end Haren’s night. Carp stepped up to the plate against reliever Scott Downs and drilled a two-run double to the base of the wall in left-center field.
Felix held the 2-1 lead, got the win and a complete game, his fifth of the season, and 18th of his career.
Next week on Mariners Mondays, Big Comebacks.
– RH/JE
From the Corner of Edgar & Dave 