Seattle Mariners move forth without Paxton
by John Stewart
Record: 5-3
AL West: 2nd, a game behind Oakland
One of the nice things about growing up in a family with an affinity for baseball — my grandfather played in the Pacific Coast League in the 1920s — is having a mother who actually enjoys going to games. So, as an early Mother’s Day present, we made our way down to Safeco Field for the home opener.
The usual show ensued prior to the game, with fireworks, red carpets, and an insane amount of cheering for the Super Bowl champion Seahawks, who brought their tropy with them, posed for photos, and had quarterback Russell Wilson throw the ceremonial first pitch – caught by none other than King Felix behind the plate.
The book on Mariners starter James Paxton going into the game was, how will he handle the Angels hitters (who had seen him a week prior) adjusting to him? The first inning was…not a real happy place for the Safeco faithful. Paxton coughed up two HUGE home runs, over 400 feet each, and the home team was down 3-0. Those of us who have been Mariners fans for a long time sighed and hoped the offense could turn things around.
And, the good news was, we did not have long to wait. Corey Hart’s 3-run bomb in the 3rd cleared the bases, and with Brad Miller having already scored on Justin Smoak’s single, the Ms took a 4-3 lead. Hart’s solo shot in the 7th was the icing on the cake (or the tint on the sunglasses, if you will).
The other big story, of course, was Paxton, who settled down and did not give up another run in his four additional innings. This was great to say, and he got the win and went to 2-0.
The bad news (and hey, it’s the Mariners, isn’t there always bad news?) was Paxton managed to strain his lat (I am not a doctor, but I’m told his is not pleasant) and will miss a start or two. With Iwakuma and Walker still not in the rotation, the team can’t be thrilled by this development. I just hope Felix is being careful with his luggage, and walking up and down stairs (it is endlessly amazing how MLB players manage to get injured). And here’s hoping Erasmo Ramirez has some more tricks in his bag, and that Chris Young has a good start in Paxton’s rotation slot on Sunday against the As.
Overall, the week was marked by the win in the home opener and a shutout at the hands of the Angels’ Garrett Richards. And, of course, by dropping two out of three in the Oakland series (a 4-game set shortened by the “what the heck, you expect us to play baseball on THIS field” cancellation). The question Mariners fans should be asking themselves is: can we beat the As at home? The East Bay crew have won 4 straight coming into the first game of the series, which fortunately features King Felix on the mound for the Mariners. Here’s hoping Felix can continue the amazing (2-0, 1.88 ERA) he’s brought so far this season, and hand the As a loss to start the series.
Glimmer of hope department: both Iwakuma and Walker appear to be recovering from their injuries. The team is hoping to get both pitchers back before the end of April. Then again, I’m hoping for a good haul from the Easter Bunny. We’ll see how it goes. Let’s hope the offense can turn it up a notch against Oakland, and later in the week against the Rangers and Marlins on the road.
Injury report: seemingly too many to list, but importantly Paxton, Iwakuma and Walker