The Seattle Mariners feel like their future is now, earning a season-best sixth consecutive victory by beating the Kansas City Royals 6-4 on Saturday night.
Ryon Healy had four hits, including a home run and three RBIs. Felix Hernandez (8-6) earned the win despite back stiffness so severe that it was difficult for him to bend over.
”It was real bad,” Hernandez said. ”I put a heat pad on it between innings and I couldn’t sit (in the dugout). I was standing up the whole game.”
The stiffness showed in the first inning when Hernandez gave up four consecutive hits, including a three-run homer to Mike Moustakas. But Hernandez managed to pitch four scoreless innings afterward.
Did he consider skipping his start?
”Come on, man,” he said. ”I had to go out there. But the ump wouldn’t let me wear my hat backwards (on the uniform night). ”He said it was too much of a distraction with my jersey out and the earrings. I said. `Look, this is the future.’ `’
Edwin Diaz pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 31st save of the season.
Jason Hammels (2-10) lost his fifth straight, allowing all six runs on 13 hits in six innings.
”Mechanically, the first few innings I was a mess,” Hammels said. ”That’s a tough lineup. I felt like I was throwing batting practice today.”
So did Hernandez in the first inning, but Seattle manager Scott Servais said they were just hoping to get five innings out of him.
”The ball was up in the first because he wasn’t extending due to the tightness in his back,” Servais said. ”He wasn’t finishing his pitches, but he got through it. The key was keeping us in the game, which he did, and we took advantage of it.”
The Mariners (53-31) are 22 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2003 season. They have gone 16 consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance, the longest dry spell in professional sports.
”We’re just living the dream now,” Hernandez said. ”I love these guys. It’s the best team we’ve had in my 14 years. It’s fun.”
Kansas City manager Ned Yost said he knew Hernandez would get better as the game progressed.
”Good pitchers, if you’re going to get them, you better get them early because they’re going to settle in,” Yost said. ”Hernandez settled in in the second.”
The Mariners quickly got back in it. Mitch Haniger made it 3-1 in the bottom of the first when he doubled to the gap in left-center to score Jean Segura, who singled.
The Mariners took the lead with three runs in the bottom of the second. Healy homered to left-center to tie it at 3 and Mike Zunino hit a sacrifice fly.
The Mariners added two more runs on five hits in the third inning to take a 6-3 lead.
It was another impressive win for the Mariners on a night of uniforms that were supposed to represent the year 2027. Dee Gordon wore his hat backward and Nelson Cruz showed off his giant biceps in the sleeveless attire.
”Dee put so much effort into it, so it was his night,”’ Healy said. ”But Nelson and those arms. My goodness. That’s shear intimidation when he doesn’t wear sleeves.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Royals: Yost said RHP Ian Kennedy was feeling better Saturday after experiencing tightness on his left side when he left the game Friday after five innings. Yost didn’t day whether Kennedy would make his next scheduled start . INF Chester Cuthbert (lower back strain) went 0 for 2 with a walk and a run scored in his first rehab assignment game at Triple-A Omaha on Friday night. Cuthbert appeared in 30 games and was hitting .194 before the injury on May 16.
UP NEXT
Royals: RHP Brad Keller (2-2, 2.25) will make his sixth start of the year Sunday. Keller is coming off the best start of his rookie season when he pitched seven scoreless innings and allowed only two hits in a 2-0 victory over the Angels Monday.
Mariners: LHP James Paxton (7-2, 3.65) will make his 18th start of the season Sunday. Paxton leads the team in strikeouts this season with 134 in 103 2/3 innings. He has six double-digit strikeout games in 2018 and his 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings are fourth-best in the AL.
Matt Carpenter helped the St. Louis Cardinals beat two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber in a way no one has before, then he stuck around to make some history of his own.Carpenter homered twice, matched a career best with five hits and helped chase Kluber in the shortest start of the right-hander’s career in the Cardinals’ 11-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night.
Carpenter, who also scored a career-best five runs, is the 19th player ever with five hits, including two home runs, and five runs in a game. He’s the first Cardinals player to do it.
”I don’t know, that leaves me kind of speechless Tim Williams Jersey ,” said Carpenter, who also drove in three. ”It’s pretty cool. Wow, there’s been some really good players come through here. You would have figured somebody would have put together a night better than that.”
Kluber (11-4) allowed six runs in 1 2/3 innings and has lost two of his past three decisions. He gave up six hits, including homers to Carpenter and Jose Martinez, and walked one on 48 pitches.
Prior to Tuesday, Kluber’s shortest start had been two innings against the Tampa Bay Rays in 2013. His previous low this year was a five-inning game on June 15 against Minnesota when he took his third loss of the season.
”He’s human,” manager Terry Francona said. ”Don’t think guys go 35 starts without having a bump in the road.”
It was a far cry from his only other appearance against the Cardinals. He struck out a career-best 18 in a 2-0 victory on May 13, 2015.
Carlos Martinez (4-4) settled down after a rough first inning for his first victory since May 2. He had lost three straight decisions over his previous five starts. He went six innings, allowing two runs, six hits and a walk while striking out eight.
St. Louis has won four straight after struggling through a 2-8 stretch. Cleveland entered the series on a seven-game winning streak before dropping the first two of this three-game set.
The Indians used three singles and a walk to take a 2-0 lead in the first but had only three more singles against Martinez and none after the starter was pulled.
Carpenter answered the Indians’ fast start with his 14th home run. It was Carpenter’s third leadoff homer of the year and 18th in his career. He also led off the eighth with his 15th homer, a solo shot, on a 5-for-5 night. The five hits matched a mark he set June 14, 2014 at Kansas City, and he was a triple shy of the cycle.
”I don’t think you wish for a home run not to be a home run, but it would have been cool to do,” he said of the cycle. ”It’s something I’ve never done, but I’ll take the home run, too.”
St. Louis manager Mike Matheny made several fielding changes in the late innings to let players get some rest. He said he considered pulling Carpenter but decided the potential cycle meant more than a couple of innings off.
”It was on our mind, but this is special for him and special for our fans,” Matheny said. ”When he’s on, it’s impressive to watch his approach and what he can do when he’s got his swing going right.”
Jose Martinez’s 12th home run, a three-run blast to left field, chased Kluber. Kolten Wong added a two-run shot in the third, his sixth of the season.
RAIN DELAY
Tuesday’s game was delayed 1-hour, 26-minutes by rain, marking the second consecutive game between the Indians and Cardinals that was affected by inclement weather. The first pitch Monday was pushed back 1-hour, 21-minutes because of a thunderstorm.
TRAINING ROOM
Indians: RHP Carlos Carrasco is scheduled to throw 40 pitches off the mound Wednesday in St. Louis. If all goes well, he could begin his rehab assignment Saturday. Carrasco is currently on the 10-day disabled list with right elbow contusion.
Cardinals: SS Yairo Munoz was pulled after the third inning with a left ankle contusion. He fouled a ball off his leg during his last at-bat before grounding out to short and was replaced by Greg Garcia to start the fourth.
UP NEXT
Indians: RHP Shane Bieber (2-0, 2.45) makes his fourth start of his rookie season. After allowing 18 hits in his first two appearances, he gave up four but struck out nine and blanked the Tigers through seven innings in his last outing.
Cardinals: RHP Jack Flaherty (3-2, 2.50) is coming off his best start of his rookie year. He allowed a season-low one hit and tied a season-high with 13 strikeouts but didn’t figure in the decision in the 2-1 loss at Milwaukee. He’s given up two runs on six hits in his previous 18 1/3 innings over three games.
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