Well, not exactly. The Ms dropped their road-trip opener to the Rangers 10-9, but in a fashion amply demonstrating the team's few strengths and many weaknesses.
Mike Leake, uncharacteristically, gave up five runs in the first, maybe watching the Twins beat up the other starters this way left him with the impression the game is best played with his team down by bunches of runs early. He yielded another two in the fourth, it was just not his night and the Mariners looked to sink out of sight until after five, the bats woke up.
Of course as their late rally started, with two runs and more hot hitting from the usual suspects, Encarnacion, Santana, Healy and Beckham, two new relievers Garton and Markel gave up three to put them further back. But Seattle never quits and a Beckham grand slam and another Vogie bomb brought them to one run, but too short, to catch Texas.
Who lost this game? Pitching, again. But who really lost it? Leake? He pitched well this season... every starter is allowed a bad one now and again. Servais? Maybe he should have pulled Leake earlier, but a bad starter for this team may still be better than an even worse reliever... as Garton and Markel proved a couple of innings later.
This was Garton's fault. He sets us up with an 11 pitch one-two-three sixth and comes back in the 7th, same guy, different pitcher, and immediately gives up a double and home run. Markel comes in, works the count to 3 and 1 and gives up a homer to the first batter he facex.
Dipoto's ability to find good power hitters is more than matched by his failure to find good relievers. That's a fair summary of this season. Maybe Jerry, who was a pitcher himself learned to identify guys who were dangerous at the plate, but never came to recognize what it takes to get them out. I give DiPoto the loss on this one.
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