BALTIMORE — It’s been a while coming for Adam Lind, who has shown little of his reputed left-handed power, and, fact is, this wasn’t anything approaching a bazooka shot.
In fact, Lind was late on a full-count fastball, an 88-mph fastball, from Baltimore starter Tyler Wilson with two runners on base Thursday afternoon in the sixth inning.
But Lind got enough into the swing to loft the ball over the left-field wall for a three-run homer that propelled the Seattle Mariners to a 7-2 victory over the Orioles at Camden Yards.
“I wanted to at least get the ball in the air (for a sacrifice fly) to score a run,” said Lind, who entered the game with a .223 average and just two homers in 31 games.
“I put a pretty good swing on it, and hit it good enough to go over the wall. I just thought it was going to be a sac fly at first. But I think it cleared (the wall). I don’t think it was robbable.”
True enough. A fan in the front row caught the ball beyond a leaping effort from left fielder Joey Rickard.
“(Lind) was kind of the story of the game,” manager Scott Servais said. “We needed a big knock, and he hit it to a good spot in the ballpark.”
The Mariners improved to 23-17 at what is roughly the one-quarter mark in the season, which puts them on pace for 93 victories. They also boosted their lead atop the American League West Division to 1 1/2 games.
So, sure, it’s early. But it’s been a pretty good early.
And if Lind gets going, as the Mariners keep predicting, that good early has a chance to turn into something more.
“I think the past week has been (better),” he said. “I haven’t got as many hits as (I’d like), but my at-bats have improved a lot. I’m seeing a lot more pitches in at-bats. I’m making the pitcher work.
“I feel I’m making progress and are headed in the right direction.”
Lind’s homer turned a one-run lead into a four-run cushion and, while Nathan Karns (4-1) had allowed just four hits through five innings, Servais chose to turn to his bullpen.
Karns understood.
“I just felt a little out of rhythm for the most part,” he said. “It’s one of those games where you just don’t feel as comfortable as you normally do. But you just battle through it.”
Nick Vincent and Vidal Nuno nursed the lead through the seventh inning with no problems, but Joaquin Benoit labored through the eighth in his first appearance since April 21.
Two one-out walks sandwiched around a single pushed him into the heart of the Orioles’ lineup with the tying run at the plate.
But Benoit steadied. Adam Jones’ grounder to short traded one run for an out, before Benoit stranded runners at second and third by retiring Chris Davis on a fly to center.
“I walked two guys,” said Benoit, who threw 29 pitches. “I understand. They told me that it was the first time back, but my expectations were different. Maybe next time I’ll do better.”
The Mariners answered by scoring twice in the ninth. Ketel Marte drove a two-out double into the left-center gap against reliever Dylan Bundy, and Leonys Martin followed with a two-run homer to right.
Like Lind’s homer, Martin’s drive barely cleared the wall.
“I didn’t know (it was gone),” Martin admitted. “It was, a little bit, off the end of my bat. But it’s a small ballpark.”
Steve Cishek worked a scoreless ninth, in a non-save situation, in his first outing since blowing two weekend saves in losses to the Angels.
“Benoit was a little rusty,” Servais said. “We expected that. It was great that we had the lead that we did when we fired him out there. But it’s great to see him out there.
“It really allows us to do some other things in the sixth and seventh inning, knowing that you have him and Cishek rested behind those games.”
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