Through nine games, we wondered if Bruce Bochte wasn’t just blowing some kind of say-something-positive smoke up the Mariners’ batrack when he described their offense at spring training.
After the Mariners’ first exhibition game, the Giants’ manager described the top of the Mariners’ batting order — Ichiro Suzuki and Chone Figgins — as irritating little gnats. Ichiro and Figgins had pulled off a double-steal in that game, then scored on a single by Ryan Garko.
As spring training went on, the Ichi-Figgy duo showed a little of the havoc they can create but, frankly, it was a hit-and-miss thing. And in the first nine games of the season, when the Mariners struggled to manage three runs per game, those two would get on base and often stay there.
We started to see a change on Wednesday when the Mariners beat the A’s 4-2 and the two guys at the top had an impact. And tonight against Detroit, they thoroughly irritated their way into the minds of the Tigers in what became an 11-3 Mariners victory.
Ichiro and Figgins combined to reach base five times, steal two bases and score three runs. And, to prove that big rallies don’t require big boppers, the Mariners didn’t come close to hitting a ball out of the park. Eleven of their 12 hits were singles, they hit three sacrifice flies, dropped a sacrifice bunt by Jack Wilson and drew six walks _ including three by Figgins.
They also harassed the Tigers into three errors, and by the time they’d scored six runs in the fifth inning to break the game open, every hitter in the lineup had a part. That included a 10-pitch at-bat by Rob Johnson, who drew a bases-loaded walk in the fifth.
“We’re a much better offensive team than we’ve shown,” manager Don Wakamatsu said. “But we do have to do things, whether it’s Jack Wilson’s bunt or Figgy’s three walks or Johnson’s bases-loaded walk. I thought we played as a team tonight. I thought the approach was outstanding, one through nine.”
One thing to keep an eye on:
Wakamatsu pulled Bradley after the sixth inning because the left fielder has a tender knee (the Mariners didn’t way which one). Wakamatsu said it’s not serious, but keeping Bradley healthy will be a key to the success of the offense.
Also, Mark Lowe looked merely human in the ninth inning when he gave up two hits and a run. Lowe had been overpowering in his three previous appearances but was held out of Wednesday’s game because of tightness in his back. Wakamatsu said Lowe is fine physically, noting that his fastball reached 97 mph tonight, but that he was rusty after having not pitched since April 10.
And one last thing: Tonight’s game drew 39,999. Makes me wonder if they shouldn’t have given out just one more Ken Griffey Jr. bobblehead.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
