Mariners Can't Break Out

The Mariners couldn't break through as they left the Bases Loaded in top of the 1st and lost 3-1.

Rangers (26-17)

Kinsler 2B

Andrus SS

Hamilton CF

Beltre 3B

Young DH

Murphy LF

Cruz RF

Napoli C

Moreland 1B

Harrison (4-3, 5.21)

Mariners (20-24)

Ackley DH

Liddi 3B

Ichiro RF

Montero C

Smoak 1B

Seager 2B

Wells LF

Saunders CF

Ryan SS

Noesi (2-4, 5.61)

Noesi was stellar, he only had two mistakes all game and unfortunately those mistakes cost him as our offense just couldn't give him enough support.  We had ample opportunity, especially in the 1st inning as we loaded the bases after already scoring one run on an RBI single by Smoak.  Wells, on his first pitch, absolutely crushed the ball to left center and for a few seconds nearly everyone in the ballpark thought he'd hit it out.  Unfortunately Hamilton was able to haul it in at the warning track to end the inning. 

The Rangers had pretty much their entire offense in the third inning as Noesi walked two, then gave up a triple to left-center to Andrus followed by a double to left by Hamilton (both with two outs).  3-1 Rangers at that point, and that was pretty much the game.  The Rangers only had two base runners the rest of the game, and the Mariners couldn't break through.

In the third, Liddi lead off the inning by crushing a ball himself... once again Hamilton tracked the ball down.  This time it was against the wall and he may have taken back a home run, it was hard to tell from my perspective.  He ripped the bottom of the wall from pushing off of it.  The Mariners had a couple of more chances in the game to score but were unable to do anything.  In the 5th, there were runners on 1st and 3rd with two outs after a double by Ryan and error by Beltre on Liddi's at-bat.  But, Ichiro hit into a fielder's choice to end the threat.  In the 8th, we had our first two hitters reach base via singles but Montero, Smoak, and Seager couldn't come through.  That was our last threat.

It is always a shame to waste a good pitching performance, but something we have all become accustomed to the last few years.  You can see the players are getting better.  Baseball is a game of failure and most of the time you aren't going to come through.  Only in those rare seasons, like 2001, does everyone hit lights out and come through in nearly every situation.  And hell, we ended up not coming through in the ALCS against the Yankees!  So you just have to chalk this up to one of those games, and hope that tomorrow they will hit that grand slam with the bases loaded if the opportunity should arise.

There was a lot of debate after the game about moving the fences in to improve the mental approach by Mariners hitters.  I say, if you move in the fences it improves the opponents as well, and that they never seem to have a problem hitting homers.  This was only 1 game in which we would have won because of homers, the Wells and Liddi fly balls.  Well... what about every other game in which our own fielders haul down shots that would go out if the fences were drawn in?  We just need the right players.  Hell, we just need players to hit to their potential!

They started closing the roof in the top of the 1st inning, about 4 minutes after the game started.

The Mariners are 6-6 when I attend
Time of Game: 2:28
Attendance: 15,604