Pregame notes, quotes, matchups and lineups for Sunday's game between the Mariners and A's in Oakland.
OAKLAND — When a Mariners’ hitter takes a hack at the first pitch of an at-bat and grounds out to short or flies out weakly to center, it’s easy for a fan to throw their hands up and say, “Why not see some pitches?” in frustration.
But swinging at the first pitch of an at-bat isn’t necessarily a bad thing. And it hasn’t been a bad thing for the Mariners this season.
In Saturday night’s 4-3 win over the A’s, Nelson Cruz and Robinson Cano both jumped on first pitch cut fastballs from Kendall Graveman, blasting them for home runs. It gave the Mariners 33 homers on the first pitch, second most in baseball behind the Baltimore Orioles with 34. Cano has nine homers on the first pitch this season – tied for most in the AL with Baltimore’s Chris Davis.
As a team, the Mariners are hitting .383 (171-for-446) with 27 doubles, five triples, 33 homers, 87 RBI and a .688 slugging percentage. The batting average and slugging percentage are tops in the American League.
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Contrary to passing-glance analysis, this success doesn’t run contrary to the Mariners’ “Control the Zone” hitting philosophy.
“You hear all year, ‘Control the zone, control the zone,’ but that doesn’t mean just go up there and walk,” manager Scott Servais said. “It’s get your pitch in your area and let it rip. I think it’s something that the majority of our guys have done well all year.”
Cano has been outstanding on first pitches. Coming into this season, he wanted to be more aggressive, believing he was letting too many hittable strikes go by, putting himself behind in counts.
He’s hitting .430 (37-for-86) with seven doubles, a triple, nine homers, 25 RBI and an .849 slugging percentage.
“We do have an aggressive team by nature,” Servais said. “Controlling the zone doesn’t necessarily mean: ‘take, take, take.’ If you get your pitch, whack it.”
Cano puts some thought into his first-pitch swings. When he hit his two-run homer, he’d noticed that Graveman had been using the cutter for get-me-over strikes in previous at-bats to him and other hitters in the middle of the order. He went up looking for one, got it and hit a two-run homer over the wall in center.
“That’s a veteran hitter knowing how he’s being pitched and looking at how the other left-handers are being pitched and what the pitcher has to offer and what he’s going to do early in the count,” Servais said. “That’s why those guys with really good talent and are really smart play for a long time and make a lot of money.”
Paxton projected to start on Tuesday
All signs point to James Paxton starting on Tuesday in Anaheim. After throwing a bullpen session on Saturday, Paxton said his arm felt fine on Sunday. He played catch pregame, including throwing long toss. The swelling from where he was struck with a line drive in the elbow is gone and the tightness is starting to recede.
“I’m feeling good about where he’s at,” Servais said before Paxton played catch. “I’d be very shocked if he couldn’t make the start on Tuesday.”
The Mariners officially list Tuesday and Wednesday’s starting pitchers as “To Be Announced.”
This is largely due to Paxton’s readiness and could change in the coming days though they may keep the Wednesday starter as TBA for the time being. They need to be wary that the elbow issue could truncate Paxton’s start on Tuesday.
“We are kind of day to day,” Servais said. “We are playing that way till September 1 when we can expand rosters.”
The Mariners have a few options for that Wednesday start in lefty Ariel Miranda and right-hander Joe Wieland. Miranda was the emergency starter for Tuesday in case Paxton couldn’t go. And they may still keep him available for that if Paxton does need an extra day.
Wieland delivered a middling start on Friday, working 5 1/2 innings and giving up six runs in a loss, but he threw a bullpen session on Sunday to prepare for a possible start on Wednesday. The odds that Wieland makes that start seem slim and would take outside circumstances to make it happen.
Ideally, the Mariners would plan to start Miranda on Wednesday and hope Paxton gives them at least five innings on Tuesday. If that happens, they could also make a roster move beforeWednesday’s game and bring up right-hander Cody Martin to replace Wieland to serve as the long reliever. Martin was optioned to Tacoma on August 7 and isn’t eligible to return till August 17 — unless a player is placed on the disabled list.
This is where the Mariners are at with their rotation. They have two certain starters in Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma. Paxton is the third, but the elbow issues determine how they slot the remaining starts for Wade LeBlanc and whoever else fills the No. 5 spot. Taijuan Walker may not be back till Sept. 1. His outing last night in Memphis for Class AAA Tacoma — 4 1/3 innings pitched, four runs on six hits, four walks and three strikeouts — probably did nothing to expedite his return.
Also
*** Seth Smith was scratched from the starting lineup about two hours before first pitch because of a contusion on his right foot. Smith fouled a ball directly off the instep of his foot in Saturday night’s win. He was in a lot of pain at the time and the foot was feeling no better on Sunday. Smith limped into the clubhouse.
“It doesn’t feel good right now,” he said. “My speed game won’t be there today.”
*** Hisashi Iwakuma’s neck issues were better on Sunday. He was able to participate in his normal day-after start throwing routine.
Batter vs. starting pitcher matchups
Mariners numbers vs. Zach Neal (one game)
A’s numbers vs. Wade LeBlanc
American League West and Wild Card Standings
On this day in Mariners’ history
- 1981 – Jeff Burroughs hits three home runs in a 13 – 3 win over the Twins, giving Seattle a split of a doubleheader.
- 1985 – In the first game of their second double header in 3 days, Mike Moore allowed only 2 runs in a club-record 11-inning pitching performance. Moore fanned 12 batters, but received no-decision as the California Angels dealt the Mariners a 3-1 loss in 12 innings. The Mariners took the nightcap, 6-1, to earn a split.
- 1991 – Randy Johnson takes a no-hitter into the ninth vs. Oakland but Mike Gallego singles. Johnson settles for a one-hit shutout in a 4-0 win.
- 2000 – Al Martin hits 1st HR as a Mariner. Edgar Martinez ties career-high with 113 RBI…ends up with 145 RBI.
- 2012 – Eric Thames delivered a 2-out, walk-off single in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Mariners a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. American League save leader Fernando Rodney blew just his 2nd save of the season.
- 2015 – The Mariners allow 15 runs for the first time in nearly 2 seasons in a 15-1 loss at Boston.
Pitching probables
Game notes