Pick your hero in tonight’s 4-2 victory over the Orioles.
Felix Hernandez got himself together after two tough innings — in which he threw 52 pitches and it seemed he’d be lucky to get through five — and put together an impressive outing. He went seven innings, allowed two runs and did what a starter needs to do: give his team a chance to win.
Jose Vidro, the much-maligned designated hitter, was on his way to another why-is-this-guy-here game when he poked a two-run single into right field in the eighth inning, driving home two runs to break a 2-2- tie. The hit lifted Vidro’s average to, ahem, .211.
Arthur Rhodes pitched a scoreless eighth inning, showing again that he can be a valuable part of the bullpen as long as his surgically repaired left elbow holds up. When the Mariners scored in the bottom of the inning, it gave Rhodes his first victory since May 23, 2005, when he pitched for the Indians.
And closer J.J. Putz, hours after he came off the disabled list, pitched impressively in the ninth to record his second save. Putz’s only mistakes were a high fastball that Aubrey Huff pushed to left field for a leadoff double, then being caught unaware when fellow reliever Mark Lowe jumped from behind the clothes in his locker and smacked him with a towel full of shaving cream. It was perhaps the most impressive hit of the night by the Mariners, but had only five during the game.
Right fielder Brad Wilkerson’s rough start continued. He struck out in his only at-bat, dropping his average to .178, then suffered a tight right hamstring and was replaced in the fourth inning by Willie Bloomquist.
On the upside, the Mariners finally have the bullpen they’ve wanted, and needed, since the season began. Putz is healthy, Brandon Morrow is back to provide late-inning heat and take that load off Lowe, and Rhodes so far has been what Eric O’Flaherty couldn’t provide in the left-handed specialty role. If the starters can give at least six quality innings and the offense scratches out four or five runs a game, the bullpen gives the Mariners a solid chance to win.
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