~~Saving A Sinking Ship~~ The Seattle Mariners...(The Show 18)

[johnstone1987]

SERIES PREVIEW

SEATTLE MARINERS(6-2) @ KANSAS CITY ROYALS(3-6)



After losing 2 of 3 in Minnesota, the Mariners road trip continues today as they face the 2015 World Champions, Kansas City Royals.

However the Royals look anything but the former 2015 Champions.

"We've been in a slump the past 2 years after we won it all. A huge hangover for us for sure." Royals Manager Ned Yost stated.

The long time KC Manager has been with the club since 2010. In his time in K.C, Ned Yost had helped built up the Royals to a contender. After 3 straight losing seasons, the Royals finished 2013 with a 86-76 record. Their first winning season since 2003.

But Kansas City still finished 3rd in the Central and out of the playoffs.

But 2014 was different. The Royals made the World Series for the first time since 1985 which was also the last time the Royals made the playoffs.

But the San Francisco Giants Dynasty of the early 2010's won the World Series, their 3rd in 6 years.

Ned Yost finally led the Royals to the top of the mountain in 2015 where they won the "Fall Classic" over the New York Mets.

But the Royals followed up their Championship with back to back 81-81 and 80-82 seasons.

The Mariners(6-2) started off with a nice 5 game winning streak including an opening day sweep of the defending Central Division Champions Cleveland Indians.

They lost 2 of 3 in Minnesota including a 11-1 thrashing loss on Thursday.

"It's a long road trip. Minnesota is a good team. We just have to focus on the next game and can't dwell too much what happened in the last series." Mariners skipper Scott Servais stated.

The Mariners enter the series with the Royals looking for a win after a loss yesterday.

The Royals looking to rebound after being swept by the Cleveland Indians in Ohio.

"That was a tough road trip for us." Yost stated. "It's nice to be back home in Kansas City with our great fans. We're looking to rebound here."

[johnstone1987]

Game #9




MARINERS bounce back with 5-3 win over ROYALS

Seattle Mariners at Kansas City Royals
Apr 9, 2018	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Seattle (7-2)	0	0	1	0	2	1	0	1	0	5	11	2
Kansas City (3-7)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	3	5	0
W: Hisashi Iwakuma(2-0) L: Ian Kennedy(0-2) S: Edwin Diaz(4)

RECAP



Kansas City, MO- It was a brisk night inside Kauffman Stadium at 52 Degrees, but the Mariners we're red hot.

"It was a great night for us." Mariners Manager Scott Servais stated.

The Royals(3-7) got off to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first thanks to a Home Run by Whit Merrifield.

But that didn't stop Mariners Japanese right hander Hisashi Iwakuma.

He shook it off and responded well.

How well?

6 innings pitched, 3 hits, 1 run, 8 strikeouts.

"After that homerun I had a talk with him and made sure he was able to shrug it off." Mariners Manager Scott Servais stated.

Seattle(7-2) got on the board in the top of the 3rd thanks to a Nelson Cruz Home run.

The score remained 1-1 with neither team able to crack.

Then in the top of the 5th, The Mariners broke through the tie with a huge bomb by third baseman Kyle Seager.

"I saw a great pitch and put a good swing on it." Seager stated.

The Mariners added to the score with homeruns by Cruz, and Gamble, later Segura.

"It's great seeing the guys hitting the ball so well." Mariners Hitting Coach Edgar Martinez stated.

New General Manager Lou Pinella was also praising the team after the game.

"It's nice to see the strides the Team is making. We still have a long way to go to reach our goals." Pinella stated.

Royals Ian Kennedy pitched into the 6th inning but after giving up 8 hits, 4 runs with just 2 strikeouts was removed.

"We're in a slump right now. Need to get back to the basics." Royals Skipper Ned Yost stated.

The Royals however mounted a comeback in the 8th before Seattle closed the door for good with Edwin Diaz picking up his 4th save of the year.

[johnstone1987]

GAME #10



Danny Duffy makes history, lifts ROYALS past MARINERS 3-0 off No hitter.

Seattle Mariners at Kansas City Royals
Apr 9, 2018	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Seattle (7-3)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Kansas City (4-7)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	3	7	0
W: Danny Duffy(3-0) L: Erasmo Ramirez(1-1)

RECAP


Kansas City, MO- The last time there was a no hitter in Kansas City Franchise history was on August 26, 1991 by Bret Saberhagen.

On Tuesday April 10, 2018 Royals Pitcher Danny Duffy(3-0) can now etch his name in history.

"It's a surreal feeling." Duffy stated after his Royals beat the Mariners 3-0.

Danny Duffy has thrown a no hitter tonight as he racked up 17 strikeouts in the process.

"I tip my hat to him. He's a huge part of our rotation. A performance like that you can't help but smile." Royals Manager Ned Yost stated.

But as the Royals(4-7) celebrate the masterpiece by Danny Duffy, there's concern after tonight's performance on the offense.

The Royals batters struggled tonight vs Mariners right hander Erasmo Ramirez(1-1).

Ramirez pitched all the way into the 8th inning with the score tied at 0 a piece.

He finished the game giving up 7 hits, 3 runs, and 8 strikeouts.

Kansas City got base runners on throughout the game but failed to bring home any runs.

Then K.C scored 3 times in the 8th to lead for good.

Danny Duffy finished the job in the 9th.

"We we're on the wrong end of the no hitter but you have to appreciate how it happened." Mariners Manager Scott Servais stated.

"We had some guys on early but couldn't get them home. We need to work on that." Royals Manager Ned Yost stated.

The Royals(4-7) are coming off back to back losing seasons and look to be in a slump in early April.

The Mariners(7-3) will look to take the rubber match tomorrow.

[johnstone1987]

Game #12




MARINERS crash and burn, fall to ROYALS 9-3

Seattle Mariners at Kansas City Royals
Apr 11, 2018	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Seattle (7-4)	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	3	9	0
Kansas City (5-7)	1	0	3	0	3	0	2	0	X	9	12	0
W: Justin Hammel(1-2) L: Felix Hernandez(1-2)

RECAP



Kansas City, MO- Looking to bounce back after yesterday's no hitter, the Mariners(7-4) sent their Ace Felix Hernandez(1-2) to the mound.

It backfired badly.

The Royals(5-7) jumped all over Hernandez rattling him around for 5 innings while putting up 10 hits and 7 runs on the board. Hernandez was able to pick up 5 strikeouts but it's obvious who won the battle.

Hernandez was benched after the 7-1 score in the 5th.

The Mariners(7-4) attempted to rally but their bats went cold in the later innings.

The only "Hot Bat" for the Mariners was DH's Nelson Cruz who homered twice.

But the hole was too big to climb out of.

"We were pushed around from the get-go." Mariners Manager Scott Servais stated.

The Mariners wrap up their long road trip and fly back to the Pacific Northwest tomorrow. They begin a 7 day home stand against A.L West Rivals, Oakland A's(6-6) and the defending Champions Houston Astros(9-4).

The Kansas City Royals(5-7) stay home and get ready to host the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim(8-4).

[johnstone1987]

SERIES PREVIEW

SEATTLE MARINERS(7-4) vs OAKLAND ATHLETICS(6-7)



After a 8 game Road Trip where the Seattle Mariners(7-4) went .500 (4-4) the M's return home to Safeco Field where they face their first AL West Rival, the Oakland A's(6-7).

The Athletics(6-7) coming off 3 straight losing seasons are off to a slump to start 2018.

The A's took 2nd in the West in 2014 before losing the Wild Card Game to the Royals.

But Oakland is still in high hopes with Bob Melvin at the helm and possibly one of the greatest GM's ever, Billy Beane. Beane is currently the V.P.

But the A's are in high spirits regardless.

"This what makes Baseball so great. Ups and downs throughout the year." A's Manager Bob Melvin stated.

The Mariners will look to rebound at home after a struggle on the road in Kansas City where they fell victim to a no hitter.

[johnstone1987]

GAME #12




MARINERS lose to ATHLETICS 2-1!



RECAP



Seattle, WA- James Paxton had 6 strikeouts heading into the 7th inning. He only allowed 4 hits all game and the Mariners(7-5) had a 1-0 lead.

But Seattle's bats we're cold all night not able to help out their #2 Ace.

"He did his job. We just didn't do ours. We didn't do him any favors." Mariners Manager Scott Servais stated.

Seattle had a 1-0 lead in the 8th and Oakland was struggling to put the ball in play all night.

Then came the 8th inning where Oakland took a 2-1 lead and slid by their West rivals at Safeco Field.

"We kept swinging all the way to the end." A's Manager Bob Melvin stated.

With the win, Oakland(7-7) is now at .500.

A's right hander Chris Bassitt gave up 5 hits in 5 innings but walked away with 5 strikeouts and allowed the 1 run.

A bomb by Right Fielder Mitch Haniger. His 6th of the year.

"We had a 1 run lead. We didn't add anymore. That's on us." Haniger stated.

The Mariners stumbled to the end with just 6 hits.

"We crashed and burned bad." Mariners Second Baseman Robinson Cano stated.

"We're playing very subpar right now even with a win." A's Manager Bob Melvin stated.

[johnstone1987]

GAME #13



ATHLETICS get a boost from their Farm System to sneak past MARINERS 5-4!




RECAP




Seattle, WA- After escaping the Seattle Mariners(7-6) with a 2-1 victory last night, the Oakland Athletics(8-7) made a phone call to their Triple A- Nashville.

"Being 7-7 and signs of inconsistency wasn't sitting right with me." A's Vice President Billy Beane stated.

The Athletics called up two of their prospects to join them in Seattle. Infielder/3rd Baseman Roberto Garcia and Outfielder Mike Webster.

The call up gave the A's new life.

In his first Major league at bat, Roberto Garcia sent his first pitch over the left field wall.

"It was an amazing feeling to get your first hit like that." Garcia stated.

He was welcomed in the dugout by his teammates.

Mike Webster had no home runs but he got his first hit as well and made some great plays out in right field.

"These guys are huge for us. I'm excited to see what the rest of the year has in store for us." Athletics Manager Bob Melvin stated.

Speaking of Home Runs, A's knocked out 3 of them today.

Seattle countered with 3 of their own.

Mariners right hander Mike Leake was rattled again for 10 hits, and 4 runs.

"I've been in a bad groove lately." Leake stated.

The Mariners had a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

A's Kendall Graveman then found his poise.

"After the first I knew I could calm down and get back to work." Graveman stated. He finished the day with 6 strong innings allowing 4 hits, 2 runs, and racking up 6 K's.

He would miss out on the decision though.

"He was solid out there." Melvin stated.

The Athletics held a 4-2 lead throughout the game until the bottom of the 8th when Center Fielder Dee Gordon sent a 2 run blast over the right field wall to pull Seattle to tie.

"We kept fighting." Mariners Manager Scott Servais stated.

The A's took the lead for good in the top of the 9th and Closer Liam Hendriks came on to shut the door for good.

His 6th of the year.

The Athletics(8-7) are back over .500.

"We gave up the lead to them and just couldn't get it back again." Servais stated.

General Manager Lou Pinella also watched helplessly from his Box while being given much love from the hometown crowd.

"It's great to be back in Seattle. It really is. So many memories here. I can't wait to build more." Pinella stated.

The Athletics will attempt to sweep the Mariners tomorrow.

[johnstone1987]

GAME #14




MARINERS drop 5 straight, Swept by ATHLETICS in 14-0 crushing.




RECAP




Seattle, WA- The Seattle Mariners(7-7) are in trouble.

They we're just swept by the Oakland A's(9-7) and are on a 5 game skid.

To make it worse now, Seattle is hosting the defending World Champions Houston Astros(11-4) tomorrow in a long 4 game series.

Morale is down inside the clubhouse.

"We we're playing great Baseball there for a tiny bit and then we just stopped. We need to find that great level of competitiveness we we're at earlier." Mariners Manager Scott Servais stated.

The Athletics(9-7) sent a statement loud and clear today inside Safeco Field.
They jumped on Hisashi Iwakuma(2-1) early and took a 4-0 lead in just the first.

"We knew if we would get up early we would be hard to beat." A's Manager Bob Melvin stated.

Oakland knocked Iwakuma out of the game in just the 4th inning as he finished the nightmare day with 9 hits, 9 runs, and 4 strikeouts.

His ERA sky rocketed up to 5.40.

Down 9-0 after Home runs by Chapman, Davis, Fowler, and A's Rookie Roberto Garcia, the A's cruised past their AL West Rivals.

Seattle brought in reliever Tony Zych to stop the bleeding and he did for 3 innings only allowing 1 hit.

Oakland poured it on in the top of the 8th off reliever James Pazos for 5 more runs.

"We we're getting crushed out there today. There's nothing else to say." Mariners Manager Scott Servais stated.

A's left hander Sean Manaea(1-1) found his poise and dominated the Mariners.

He only allowed 3 hits all game in 7 innings and 9 strikeouts.

"I just went back to my old pitches and found a nice groove." Manaea stated.

Seattle would finish the game with just 3 hits total.

"We're not very happy right now. We need to start winning games again." Mariners Second Baseman Robinson Cano stated.

He's been ice cold over the past 7 games.

"It's not a whole lot of fun right now. We still have a long year ahead of us." Mariners Third Baseman Kyle Seager stated.

The Oakland A's(9-7) head back to Oakland where they will meet the Chicago White Sox(8-7).

The Seattle Mariners(7-7) will stay home and attempt to stop their 5 game skid when they host the Houston Astros(11-4).