As if the season he was having wasn't painful enough for Mariners fans, former Mariners star prospect Adam Jones scored the winning run, the only run, as the Mariners fell to the Orioles 1-0 tonight at Safeco Field.
Seattle's hitting struggles continued, despite a promising eight-run outing Sunday against the Angels. They managed only two hits today but still had a couple opportunities to score.
Their best chance came in the bottom of the first when Ichiro Suzuki led off with a double, then reached third on a stolen base. With no outs, the Mariners still couldn't bring him home.
To continue...
Starting the game for Baltimore was lefty Rich Hill, who entered the game with a 6.14 ERA and three starts.
He had a season-best performance, pitching seven shutout innings with two hits, three walks and sevens strikeouts.
Mariners starter Jarrod Washburn, who continues to build on his best season in four years, made it through seven innings, allowing six hits and one run.
What turned out to be the winning run came in the top of the sixth when Jones scored on a sacrifice fly.
Once considered the top prospect in the Mariners farm system, he was sent to Baltimore prior to the 2008 season as part of a package deal for Erik Bedard.
Through tonight's game, he is hitting .344 with 11 home runs and 34 RBIs. Were he still in Seattle, he would be second in batting average, tied for first in home runs and alone in first in RBIs. His 40 runs scored would also be good enough to lead the team.
Another former Mariner, George Sherrill, finished the shutout, retiring all three batters he faced in the ninth. It was his 11th save of the season.
Both teams move to 24-28 on the season and will again play at 7:10 p.m. tomorrow at Safeco Field.
Reach Jeff Richards at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
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