INQUISITR.COM / Sports

Seattle Mariners Win Series Against Texas Rangers, Christian Bergman Impressive In Mariners Debut

By Ryan DeVault
Published on: 15:00 PST, May 7, 2017

The Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers again on Sunday (May 7), winning the three-game series at Safeco Field. The Mariners have now won four of the first six games the team has played in the month of May, with all those victories coming against American League West opponents. The team now heads out on a road trip that will include games against the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays next week.

On Sunday afternoon, the Mariners had to put Dillon Overton on the mound to make a spot-start for the team. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Mariners lost James Paxton and Felix Hernandez to the disabled list, leaving a hole in the starting rotation. Overton pitched well at times but had to work around several rallies that saw his pitch count rise early on. He would last three-and-a-half innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk.

Christian Bergman made his Seattle Mariners debut in the fourth inning, putting an end to a Rangers rally to keep the team in the game. Bergman lasted three and two-thirds innings, allowing only one run on one hit, showing that he might have the “stuff” necessary to prolong his stay in the big leagues. The outing may have also shown that Bergman deserves to take over a spot in the starting rotation for now.

Despite the impressive pitching by Christian Bergman, the Mariners still trailed 3-0 in the game until the bottom of the seventh inning rolled around. Kyle Seager and Taylor Motter walked to lead off the inning, suggesting good things were coming soon for the home crowd at Safeco Field. Two batters later, Jarrod Dyson walked to load the bases and then Jean Segura walked in a run. After a pitching change, Danny Valencia hit a two-run single to tie the game.

With the game still tied in the bottom of the eighth inning, Kyle Seager lost a ball in the seats for his second home run of the year. Mike Rzepczynski was credited with the win after getting the final out of the eighth inning and then Edwin Diaz notched his sixth save of the season with a perfect ninth inning.

Going 4-2 on the homestand against the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels is exactly how the Seattle Mariners needed to start the month of May. Putting April in the rearview mirror has gone well so far, but the team has a long road ahead due to a disabled list packed with main contributors. Getting Steve Cishek, James Paxton, Felix Hernandez, and Mitch Haniger back on the field (and healthy) will be key to any extended success the Mariners find this season.

The Mariners now get a day off before taking the field against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday (May 9). Ariel Miranda will get the start, moving up in the starting rotation to allow Hisashi Iwakuma a few more days to recover from a line drive he took off the knee. Yovani Gallardo will now make the start on Wednesday (May 10) to close out a short two-game series against the Phillies. The team will then travel to Canada to play four games against the Toronto Blue Jays.

In the updated MLB standings, the Mariners are third place in the AL West at 15-17. The Mariners currently trail the Houston Astros (21-11) by six games but have quite a few chances left to play them this season. The Phillies (13-17) and Blue Jays (11-20) now present an opportunity for the Seattle Mariners to put together a nice winning streak and continue that early May success.

[Featured Image by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images]

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