By Larry LaRue
The News Tribune
BALTIMORE – One loss, so many ways to see it.
After Seattle dropped an 8-7 game to the Baltimore Orioles in the 10th inning Friday, the aspects piled up … .
A 5-0 lead, gone.
A rare series of failures by a bullpen that once held a 7-3 edge.
A seldom-seen managerial strategy put in play in the 10th inning.
Inside the Mariners’ clubhouse, they tend to cut to the chase about these things.
“Our reputation is, we dominate late in the game,” reliever Ryan Franklin said. “When we don’t, we’re disgusted. Tonight, we didn’t – and it’s disgusting.”
In a game they seemed to have in hand for most of the first eight innings, the Mariners and their fans probably could have counted up a good half-dozen reasons why it got away:
And then there was the 10th inning, which started badly for Seattle and ended worse – with five infielders watching as John Halama gave up a sacrifice fly to Gil that pushed home the winning run.
“We lost tonight because I didn’t execute,” Halama said. “If I make a play, the whole inning changes.”
The play in question came after Jeff Conine’s ground-ball single to open the bottom of the 10th, when the Orioles tried to bunt the runner to second base. Marty Cordova got the bunt down, and Halama pounced on it.
“I threw to first, but it got away, it just sailed,” Halama said of his wild throw.
By the time someone ran down the ball, the Orioles had men on second and third base and no one out.
Piniella ordered Tony Batista, who earlier had hammered his 13th home run, intentionally walked to load the bases and set up a force play at the plate.
And then Piniella went a step further. He brought left fielder Mark McLemore in and played a five-infielder, two-outfielder defense.
“You try it with a slow runner at the plate, because with the infield in, you might get a home-to-first double play,” Piniella said.
Halama wanted a ground ball, a pop-up or a strikeout – and didn’t get any of them. With five infielders scattered around behind him, Halama’s fastball to Gil forced outfielder Ichiro Suzuki to step back for the catch.
“If he’s playing regular depth, maybe he can get his momentum coming in and make that throw,” Piniella said. “But we had him in and he had no chance.”
From the outset, it was as if the Mariners couldn’t stand prosperity.
Given a 2-0 lead in the first inning, Moyer had to pitch out of serious trouble in the second and third innings – and escaped in the third only because of two marvelous plays at third base by Jeff Cirillo.
Still, after the third inning, Moyer was ahead, 5-0.
Game over? Not this time.
“Jamie wasn’t as sharp as he’s been, and he struggled,” Piniella said. “He’d gone eight innings his last two starts, it was hot and muggy out there. He was OK, he kept us ahead … “
By less each inning.
Solo homers by Conine and Batista and a Gary Matthews RBI double chipped away at Seattle’s lead – but in the top of the seventh inning, the Mariners tacked on two more.
Rookie Mateo had struck out Gil to end the sixth inning, then got two quick outs in the seventh. Then, after a single and double, he was matched up with Chris Singleton.
“That situation, you pitch away,” Piniella said. “The worst he does is single somewhere, push home one run. The kid tried to come inside, jam him, and he missed. That’s experience, and hopefully he learns from it.”
Mateo missed inside and Singleton hit it out, cutting the lead to 7-6.
The Orioles touched Franklin for the tying run in the eighth inning and the Mariners could do nothing offensively.
Bottom of the 10th, Piniella pulled out the bag of managerial tricks and loaded his infield. How many times had he tried it?
“Twice with Seattle, two, three times before that,” Piniella said.
Had it ever worked?
“No, but it looks like you’re trying something,” he said.
His veteran infielders shrugged and smiled.
“I did it for Johnny Oates in Texas,” Mark McLemore said. “You get the right ground ball, you can get out of that.”
Did it work for Texas?
“No,” McLemore said.
Bret Boone, too, had done it before in his career. And never seen it work.
“We shouldn’t have been in that situation, but once we were why not try something? A fly ball beats you, a hit beats you,” he said. “Lou gave it a shot. It didn’t work.”
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