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Mariners defeat the Orioles with strong pitching and power hitting

Same ol' Mariners, but in a good way

By Olivia Hummer
Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

The Mariners have won two games in a row and are two games above .500.

I don't know about you, but after a rough month, those words sound like hopeful music to my ears. Tonight's game was far from an offensive spectacle, but three home runs were all the Mariners needed to take a 2-0 series lead over the Baltimore Orioles.

In his second outing in Northwest green, lefty Wade LeBlanc proved Jerry DiPoto may be a sorcerer recorded his first MLB win since 2014 and his second quality start for the Mariners this season.

LeBlanc's night ended after 6.0 innings of solid work, allowing just two runs to score, one of which was Chris Davis's 20th home run of the season and was sort of bound to happen. He struck out five and gave up only three hits, placing him firmly among the team's best starters (as measured by current performance). 10/10 would acquire again.

On the other side of the plate, Seth Smith did this in the first to put the Mariners on the board:

Kyle Seager did this in the sixth to give the Mariners the lead:

And Dae-Ho Lee did this in the eighth for insurance:

Jose Rivera

Although these were arguably more important:

Both teams struggled to mount much of an offense tonight, but rather than lie down and lose (as they have been wont to do), the Mariners kept swinging their bats. The 10 strikeouts—including three from Cruz and one from Robbie, who went 0-for-4 on the night—were not ideal, but the team also mustered up 10 hits, and the bats came alive when it mattered most.

Mike Montgomery, Edwin Diaz, and Steve Cishek were lights-out in relief, allowing only two hits across a combined three innings while striking out six. Diaz is now second in Mariners history with 26 strikeouts in his first 13 appearances, and there's also this:

The Mariners won, Seager got the Swelmet, fun was had all around.

Here's to a brand new month, and a winning record as the All-Star break approaches.

Go M's and biz.

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