The Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 7-3 on Sunday (June 18), avoiding a sweep on the road to a divisional rival. After losing the first two games of the series in an ugly fashion, the Mariners called on Christian Bergman to stop the slide in the Wild Card standings. Bergman allowed just two runs in 5 2/3 innings of work, moving to 4-4 on the season with a really important victory.
On offense, Kyle Seager was the hero on this day, going 3-for-5 at the plate with two runs scored and three RBIs. Danny Valencia had a two-run homer in the first inning to get the offense started and Robinson Cano had two more hits to raise his batting average on the season to 0.289. Five relievers closed the door, giving up no hits over the last 3 1/3 innings to put this game in the win column. Closer Edwin Diaz even pitched a perfect ninth inning to put an exclamation point on the day.
In the updated Wild Card standings , the Seattle Mariners are now just two-and-a-half games behind the Tampa Bay Rays (37-35). The Rays took over the second Wild Card spot in the American League this weekend, with the Boston Red Sox (38-30) three games ahead of them for the first slot so far. The Red Sox have a late game against the Houston Astros on Sunday night that could shift things.
Even though he didn’t pitch, it was a special Father’s Day today for just-called-up @TallWall22 . https://t.co/Mh2w1XQ2nN pic.twitter.com/jv3yUAPOSZ
— Mariners (@Mariners) June 19, 2017
The Mariners finished this rough road trip at 3-4 but now get to head home for a nine-game homestand. It begins on Monday night at 7:10 p.m. PT against the Detroit Tigers. The Mariners play four games against the Tigers, three against the Houston Astros, and then two against the Philadelphia Phillies. In addition to getting to play at home, the Mariners also get two days off at the end of the month, with June 26 and 29 serving as open spots in the season schedule.
Seattle-bound.????
A nine-game homestand begins tomorrow night at @SafecoField . pic.twitter.com/ZAGKNVInVC
— Mariners (@Mariners) June 19, 2017
It’s important for the Mariners to take advantage of this “home cooking,” as the team really needs to start moving up the Wild Card standings before the July All-Star break. Beating up on opponents like the Tigers will be vital, but the Mariners will also have to prove that they can take care of good teams like the Astros. If everything goes as planned, Felix Hernandez will make his return from the disabled list when the Seattle Mariners host those Astros on June 23.
[Featured Image by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images]
