The Mariners appeared to hit the dog days of spring training all in one day with a game some would consider an insult to dogs. Pitchers again struggled to throw strikes, outfielders broke the wrong way on fly balls and the Mariners committed four errors in a 15-5 loss to the Chicago White Sox.
Starting pitcher Garrett Olson walked five and gave up seven runs in 1 2/3 innings, shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt made two errors and the Mariners lost for the sixth time in seven games.
Even though the Mariners continue to field a makeshift lineup because several players are in the World Baseball Classic, manager Don Wakamatsu was hardly satisfied.
“I didn’t see a whole lot of anything,” he said.
Besides the four errors, the Mariners misplayed other balls — Mike Morse let two fall in front of him in right field after he took meandering routes.
Trying to find a positive, Wakamatsu said pitcher Shawn Kelley had good stuff but was forced to throw more pitches than necessary because of the defensive failures behind him.
“When he missed, he missed down in the zone,” Wakamatsu said.
The Mariners issued eight walks — they’ve walked 74 in 16 games — including four in the second inning by Olson. The left-hander has a chance to start the season in the rotation if Brandon Morrow can’t come back from his tight forearm, but Sunday’s outing didn’t help a bit.
“We’ve been talking about pressure situations and competing for starting jobs, and I thought it got the better of him today,” Wakamatsu said of Olson.
First baseman Russell Branyan had the best game with two home runs, pulling one to right field in the fourth inning and one the opposite way to left in the seventh.
“We know he can pull the ball, but to be able to stay on the ball a little bit longer, it’s something he’s been working on,” Wakamatsu said. “He’ strong enough to mis-hit a ball and hit it out the other way, which is nice.”
Wakamatsu no doubt is handcuffed without front-line players like Ichiro Suzuki, Jose Lopez, Kenji Johjima and Endy Chavez, although it was his starting shortstop — Betancourt — who committed two of the errors.
“As we start to get these guys in there every day, that’s when we’re going to start to worry about it or not worry about it,” Wakamatsu said.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
