BALTIMORE— The Seattle Mariners may have only one ace on their staff in Felix Hernandez, but in his fourth career start against Baltimore, 26 year-old Cuban lefty Roenis Elias sure resembled the King with a dominating performance that withstood a 9th inning comeback attempt by the Orioles.
In 7 2/3 innings Elias allowed only one run on six hits, with a befuddling change-up that kept Baltimore off-balance the whole evening. It wasn’t until there were two outs in the 8th inning that Baltimore even had a real threat, and it was only then that Seattle went to the bullpen.
The Orioles added their first run in that inning and opened the 9th with first-and-third with no one out, but could do no better than one run in the final frame, to fall 4-2 to the Mariners.
“Lot of change-ups…It happens a lot against us,” said Orioles manager Buck Showalter of the reason for Elias’ success. “His percentage of fastballs was a whole lot higher than what we figured he would throw against us.”
Elias had pitched well against the Orioles before the game, coming in with a 0-1 record but just a 1.69 ERA in three previous starts, but just hadn’t been able to earn a win.
Orioles starter Wei-Yin Chen was not nearly as sharp as Elias but kept the O’s in the game, going 7.0 innings, allowing 4 runs on 8 hits. Chen, who came into the game with a 1-2 record, 2.53 ERA, and at least 6.0 innings pitched in six of eight starts, was once again troubled by the long ball in this contest.
With the Mariners leading 1-0 in the 4th, CF Justin Ruggiano blasted a 2-2 pitch over the fence with a man on in what was the 7th home run Chen has allowed this season.
The Mariners then added to their lead with one out in the 7th on SS Chris Taylor’s first career triple. Taylor was thrown out at home on a fielder’s choice on the next at-bat on a grounder from Rickie Weeks. The Mariners’ first run came in the third when Ruggiano scored on a double by catcher Mike Zunino.
Chen has not pitched badly in 2015, unlike several of his counterparts who have struggled, but has been victim to the team’s bullpen giving up leads in three of his eight starts and the bats giving him no run support at all in another before this contest. The four runs might have been enough to at least earn the O’s a chance to tie the game, but bats were mostly quiet till late in the game.
Elias pitched the Mariners to two outs in the 8th before putting two on and giving way to the bullpen. Jimmy Paredes drove in one run on a hit, but tried to stretch the single to a double on a bobbled ball by former Oriole star Nelson Cruz, and was ruled out on the tag at second. Showalter challenged the play but Paredes was called out on the ensuing review as the call was confirmed.
“That’s a hindsight thing obviously,” said Showalter. “We looked at three of them [review angles] he was
safe, and one of them he was out and that was enough not to overturn what was called on the field… Jimmy thought he could make it and it’s still questionable whether he did or didn’t.”
The Orioles threatened again in the 9th with first-and-third and no one out and Chris Davis at the plate with a 3-2 count against Mariners closer and longtime Orioles’ nemesis Fernando Rodney. Davis appeared to get a close two-strike call go his way, but then was called out on strikes on another close pitch on an inside strike call from John Hirschbeck.
Hirschbeck, best known to Orioles fans for his 1996 spat with then-O’s second baseman Roberto Alomar followed that called strike three with another, to Steve Pearce. After a bloop single from JJ Hardy cut the lead to 4-2, pinch hitter Travis Snyder grounded out to second to end the game.
The loss dropped the Orioles (17-20) back to a .500 home stand, though the Birds could still win the series on Thursday’s daytime contest.
NOTES:
Former Oriole Cruz did not homer in this game against his former club (as he did in Tuesday’s game) but still made his presence felt with two hits in the contest and a run scored. The crowd of 21,710 at Camden Yards loudly cheered Cruz on his first at-bat and yelled out “Cruuuz” during the batter’s introduction.
