SEATTLE – There are ways to describe Greg Dobbs’ hitting approach during his first stint with the Seattle Mariners this season.
“Impatient” comes to mind. There’s also “hurried” and “anxious.”
They all might apply, although Seattle Mariners manager Mike Hargrove has his own description.
“He’s fine as long as he doesn’t get froggy up there,” Hargrove said.
“Froggy” was the old Greg Dobbs, a jumpy rookie trying so hard to impress when he made the team out of spring training that it eventually got him sent down to Class AAA Tacoma. Since he was recalled to the Mariners late last month, Dobbs has been much more effective.
Tuesday night, Dobbs’ new approach won the Mariners a game when his two-out single in the ninth inning gave them a 2-1 victory over the Angels.
He singled up the middle off reliever Scot Shields, driving home Jeremy Reed with the winning run just when it appeared the Angels were about to pull off a great escape.
The Mariners, who got out of a bases-loaded, nobody-out scare in the top of the ninth, had runners on first and third with nobody out after singles by Reed and Raul Ibanez.
The Angels not only brought their infield in for a play at the plate, they left center field bare when they replaced Steve Finley with Maicer Izturis as a fifth infielder.
It worked.
Richie Sexson hit a sharp grounder to the shortstop side of second base to start a double play that technically was scored 4-8-3.
While the Angels were turning it, Reed, on strict instructions from third base coach Carlos Garcia, stayed put.
“Early the ballgame you probably want the runner going to stay out of the double play,” Hargrove said. “Late in the ballgame, that was the winning run and there are a lot of ways he can score other than a base hit. Ask 10 different people and you’ll get 10 different opinions on what to do. Whatever works is right that night.”
It turned out right after the Angels intentionally walked Adrian Beltre, even though it set up a righty-lefty matchup between Shields and the left-handed-hitting Dobbs.
It backfired on the Angles when Dobbs – the new, improved Dobbs – got a low fastball and slapped it up the middle to drive home Reed and end the game.
“I was telling myself not to do too much, not to try to hit the ball 600 feet,” Dobbs said. “Just stay within myself, stay controlled and put a nice, easy swing on the ball and hit it hard.”
Where was that approach five months ago?
Dobbs is hitting .258 since he returned to the Mariners on Aug. 20. In the 27 games he played from opening day to June 12, when he was sent to Tacoma, he batted just .176.
“It’s easy to get to this level and try to do spectacular things, which we all do,” Dobbs said. “It’s been a learning experience this year for me. Being back up here, I’ve been telling myself to trust my hands, stay back and put good swings on good pitches.”
That, along with stellar pitching from starter Ryan Franklin and relievers George Sherrill and J.J. Putz, gave the Mariners more than a victory over the AL West Division leaders.
It was the Mariners’ 63rd victory this season, matching their victory total all last year.
Franklin pitched one of his best games this season, allowing eight hits in eight innings.
The Mariners led 1-0 in the third when Ichiro Suzuki dropped a bunt single and Angels starter Paul Byrd threw the ball away at first base, allowing Yuniesky Betancourt to score.
It put Franklin on course for his first victory since July 30. All it got him was his fourth straight no-decision when the Angels got three straight hits with two outs in the seventh inning, including Bengie Molina’s RBI single to tie the score 1-1.
That set up a bizarre ninth.
Orlando Cabrera lined a leadoff single off third baseman Adrian Beltre’s glove and Garret Anderson smashed a blur past first baseman Richie Sexson’s ear for a ground-rule double that put Angels on second and third with nobody out.
Franklin intentionally walked Vladimir Guerrero to load the bases, then got the support from his bullpen that the offense couldn’t deliver.
Hargrove brought in left-handed Sherrill to face left-handed-hitting Darrin Erstad, who hit an end-of-the-bat grounder to Beltre at third. Beltre stepped on the bag to force out Anderson, then threw home to catch Cabrera in a rundown, with catcher Yorvit Torrealba tagging him out to complete a double play.
Hargrove brought in right-hander Putz, who got Molina to ground out to end the threat. In the bottom of the ninth, the Mariners had their own golden opportunity nearly smothered by the strange 4-8-3 double play before Dobbs delivered his winning hit.
“You don’t very often get out of a bases-loaded, nobody-out situation without a run being scored. Especially against a team like that,” Hargrove said. “To do that and have the tables turned and almost have it done to you gets your heart racing.
“When it slows down, I’ll let you know.”
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