No longer can closer David Aardsma be viewed as a sure thing in the ninth inning.
Despite entering the ninth inning with a 3-0 lead, he managed to give up five runs, three earned without logging a single out. Seattle went on to lose 5-3 to the Orioles today at Safeco Field.
He wasn't alone in the meltdown. Jose Lopez, who put Seattle up 2-0 with a homer in the first, bobbled a routine grounder, gifting the Orioles their second run of the inning. It should have been an easy double play.
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The final run of the inning was also scored off a Lopez fielding error.
His wasn't responsible for the only fielding mis-step in the inning either. Earlier, Chris Woodward failed to handle a grounder to third. He wasn't credited with the error, but it was the second time in the game he failed to control a grounder.
The loss came after a fantastic pitching performance by starter Jason Vargas, who pitched five shutout innings, as well as Garrett Olson, who made a rare appearance in relief.
Olson relieved Miguel Batista in the seventh with the bases loaded and no outs. He began with a strikeout before forcing the next batter to ground out into a double play.
Throughout the game, the Mariners struggled to reach base and produce runs to keep pressure off the pitching staff.
As a team, they finished with just seven hits, leaving 12 runners on base, four of which were stranded by Kenji Johjima.
Russell Branyan was shifted down in the lineup to the three spot for the game. Woodward hit in his place at two, going 1-for-3.
The Mariners finished the game with three errors. It wasn't all bad though. Franklin Gutierrez made a diving catch in center field. He also extended his hitting streak to 10 games.
Seattle begins a four-game homestand against the Rangers at 7:10 p.m. tomorrow.
Reach Jeff Richards at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
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