Gonzales pitches Seattle past Texas in 2-1 win

By TJ Cotterill

The News Tribune

SEATTLE — A one-run victory seems to be the norm for the Seattle Mariners these days.

As manager Scott Servais keeps stating, seemingly over and over in the Mariners’ past nine games, they’ll take timely hitting over good hitting.

And they’ll ride this wave of near untouchable pitching for as long as they can, too.

“It’s been a crazy run we’ve been on,” Servais said. “And it feels like I’m saying the same thing every day.”

Who would have thought, especially with a staff like the Houston Astros have, that the Mariners, starting players such as Wade LeBlanc, Marco Gonzales and Christian Bergman, would pitch performances comparable to the best in the big leagues through the first two months of the season?

Less than a week after pitching a career-high seven innings, Gonzales allowed one unearned run in 62⁄3 innings in a 2-1 victory over the Texas Rangers to begin the Mariners’ four-game home series on Monday — their ninth win in their last 10 games.

“It would be really nice if we went out tomorrow and won by like 10,” said Kyle Seager, who drove in the go-ahead run with a line-drive, two-out single in the sixth inning. “I’m sure the bullpen wouldn’t mind it and I’m sure the Skip wouldn’t mind it.”

The Mariners (33-20) are now 13 games over .500 for the first time since late in the 2014 season and earned their 16th comeback victory of the season, which trails only the Boston Red Sox (17 entering Monday) for most in the big leagues this season.

They’ve won 16 games by one run, the most in the majors and improved to 21-9 in games decided by two runs or fewer.

Pretty clutch.

In the past week, the Mariners took a lead in the sixth inning or later five of the seven days.

And, again, they did this with two-out hitting.

They got some help from a Rangers miscue. Second baseman Rougned Odor bobbled Denard Span’s ground ball. He got Guillermo Heredia in time at second, but Span reached first safe, avoiding an inning-ending double play.

Mitch Haniger followed with a single, then Nelson Cruz tied the game with an RBI single to left field, with Span scoring the first run in his first game as a Mariner.

Seager singled to right field and Haniger scored from second for a 2-1 lead.

In the past two weeks, the Mariners’ starting pitchers — Felix Hernandez, James Paxton, Wade LeBlanc, Christian Bergman (one start), Mike Leake and Gonzales — have allowed 27 earned run in 130 2/3 innings for a 1.86 ERA. That’s the best in the major leagues.

Yes, their starting pitchers have collectively been the best in the majors since May 14.

Gonzales continued that. He had his best outing last week with a career-high seven scoreless innings in Oakland and followed that up one out away from matching that.

He walked Ryan Rua with two outs in the sixth inning and Servais elected to bring in left-hander James Pazos as Gonzales walked off to a standing Safeco Field ovation.

Gonzales is turning into exactly the young pitcher the Mariners hoped they’d see this season, his second removed from Tommy John surgery when he was with the St. Louis Cardinals. Servais said before the year that Gonzales would be the key to their rotation’s success.

And over his past seven starts Gonzales had pitched 43 1/3 innings (an average of 6 2/3 innings per start), has walked 12 with 34 strikeouts and has a 2.09 ERA, after a couple rough outings to start the year.

Servais saw something, though, especially this spring. Gonzales is now two years removed from the Tommy John surgery he had with the St. Louis Cardinals, not too long before the Mariners acquired him last season in exchange for outfield prospect Tyler O’Neill.

“There were a lot of questions, from a lot of people,” Servais said. “And I’m really happy for him. I think that’s what our scouts saw when we made the trade for him. The guys in our front office recognized that we get this guy, we get him back completely healthy and in a good environment he can be a guy who can carry innings. And he’s working his way deeper into ball games which is great to see.

“He continues to build confidence which is great to see and we’re going to need it as this thing continues on. He’s a guy we’re relying on now for six solid, sometimes seven innings.”

How much confidence? Especially since the end of last season?

“Night and day,” Gonzales said.

He not only added a cut-fastball this offseason, with his arm feeling stronger, but his curveball has become a go-to pitch, using it far more often and effectively these past seven starts than any time before in his young career.

“It started in spring training,” Gonzales said. “I think I finally knew that I was over some things and found a good routine for myself. Been able to stay on the process of my arm care and things like that are really important every day.

“I think the second year back from surgery has done wonders, but my body is feeling good and my arm is feeling good and that’s No. 1. That and knowing I need to get ahead of guys and get in good counts and keep that aggressive approach. I think that’s something I’ve been working on and putting together.”

The Rangers got their only run against Gonzales, unearned, in the third inning. Odor led off with a bunt single, reached third after a couple walks and with two outs he scored on a passed ball.

But Gonzales got out of the inning when he turned and fired off the mound to second base to pick off Ronald Guzman, one of his two pickoffs in the game.

But Pazos got a quick fly-out to end the inning before turning it over to Seattle’s newly-acquired reliever Alex Colome, who earned a save in the Mariners’ victory to sweep the Minnesota Twins on Sunday because Edwin Diaz had pitched four of the previous five days.

So this was the Mariners’ first chance to see their new eighth and ninth-inning bullpen combo in action.

Colome struck out two of the four batters he faced, working around Delino DeShields’ two-out single.

Diaz allowed a leadoff walk but struck out Nomar Mazara and then got back-to-back fly outs for his major-league-leading 18th save of the season.

“That’s our job — we think nobody can beat us,” Diaz said. “(Colomé) is throwing the ball great, I’m throwing the ball great and our bullpen is throwing great. I think after somebody from the bullpen comes in we have a really, really good chance to win games.”

Since April 24, the Mariners are 22-10 — no other team in the major leagues has that many wins in the past 35 days.

And with the Mariners 13 games over .500, they also have a run differential of plus-13.

“A lot of people say, ‘Oh, you can’t sustain that. It will catch up with you …’ I don’t know,” Servais said. “I’m not worried about it. I’m worried about tomorrow’s game and that’s how we’re looking at it. We’ll find out tomorrow how to win.”

“It’s a group that likes playing with each other, they get along, they give each other a hard time, they enjoy being with each other, coming to the ball park and taking on that days’ challenge. The culture that is in our clubhouse right now, it’s conducive to winning. Guys got smiles on their faces and just go out and be who you are.”