There isn’t much to say about this one. Wei-Yin Chen no-hit the Mariners through 7 innings, then was mystifyingly pulled for a reliever after 100 pitches (because that’s the world we live in now, apparently), then the 8th inning guy went 1-2-3, and then with one out in the 9th inning Mitch Haniger hit a double to right center to keep a no-hitter off the books.
If it wasn’t obvious, Haniger was the only guy to have a relatively good day, as he also took a walk. But, I mean, it is what it is, I guess. In spite of the fact the Mariners are no longer so lefty-heavy in their lineup, they still struggle against average left-handed pitchers (on the year: .167/.286/.233). Chen is absolutely nothing special, until you put him in front of a bunch of Mariners, and then he’s the best pitcher alive.
On the flipside, Gallardo went 6 innings, giving up 4 runs on 9 hits, with 3 strikeouts and 0 walks. When you look at his numbers like that, they don’t look SO bad for a #5 starter; given some of the real duds the Mariners have employed over the years in that spot, it’s actually kind of okay! All you really ever hope for is that he “keeps you in the ballgame,” but at no point did it ever feel like the Mariners were in this one.
The Marlins scored a run in the first on a bad luck infield single chopped too high for anyone to make a play. With no outs at that point, it was a minor miracle Gallardo was able to get out of the inning without more damage. The Marlins put two more runners on in the second and bunted them over into scoring position, but when Dee Gordon’s 1-out bunt went right back to the pitcher for the second out of the inning, it looked like Gallardo might wiggle out of danger. Then, a wild pitch brought in the runner from third and suddenly it was 2-0.
Then the Marlins hit a 2-run homer in the third inning, and it never really felt all that close after that.
What are you gonna do, you know? These games happen. Winning streaks have to end at some point; in this case it ended after 4 games. We get Felix on the mound this afternoon, then we start a 4-game series in Oakland. Since I’m going to be working this afternoon, and thus won’t have a chance to watch the game, maybe for tomorrow’s recap I’ll try to do some sort of Oakland A’s preview. Feels like an important series, like a good way to make up some ground in the A.L. West and put one of our foes to bed early.