Results tagged “jasonvargas”

Saw Catch Me If You Can over the weekend, and it struck me that the 2009 Mariners are working in a similar way--auditioning players for roles on next season's team while still putting on a professional performance.

Erik Bedard returns to the Mariners rotation on Tuesday, having missed the last month with a sore shoulder (according to team doctors--some of our Mariner fan friends contend that the oft-injured Bedard has a sore part of the female anatomy.) Bedard's return takes up a spot in the five-man starting rotation, meaning somebody's headed to the bullpen or, worse yet, back to traveling coach class with the AAA Tacoma Rainiers. Ew.

A much-needed win at Yankee Stadium gives the M's a .500 record on their road trip from hell, which now proceeds to Boston. After Jason Vargas left because he was suffering from flu, the bullpen (Batista, Lowe, Aardsma) threw five scoreless innings. Ichiro continued his mastery of C.C. Sabathia with two hits, including a 2-RBI double. M's 40-38, 3.5 GB. Box score. Next game Fri @ BOS, 4:05 p.m.; King Felix vs. Wakefield.

Jason Vargas had one of the best starts by an M's pitcher this year, allowing one run over seven innings and retiring 17 consecutive batters at one point. A Mike Sweeney sac fly put the M's ahead in the seventh inning, and Yuni Betancourt's two-run doubled iced it. Wlad Balentien had two hits, including a homer, in his re-debut as the regular leftfielder. M's 34-34, 3.5 GB. Box score. Next game Sun vs. ARI, 1:10 p.m.; Hernandez vs. Davis.

One of those games that just stinks. Vargas was knocked around for five runs in the third. The M's hitters managed just six hits, all singles. And the game was interrupted by a tornado warning. After reaching Colorado having just clawed back to .500, the M's leave three games under after a Rockies' sweep. M's 30-33, 5.5 GB. Box score. Next game Tue. @ S.D.; King Felix vs. Correia.

Welcome back, Adrian Beltre! The suddenly hot slugger had all three ribbies: a mammoth two-run homer off the facade of the LF deck in the third inning and a walk-off single in the ninth. Beltre's hitting .368 over the past 13 games. David Aardsma gets the win after pitching a scoreless ninth, but Jason Vargas is the real moundsman of note, pitching into the sixth and allowing only two runs despite some iffy M's fielding. Ichiro extended his franchise-record hitting streak to 27 games with a single in the third. Box score. Next game Friday vs. MIN, 7:10 p.m.; King Felix vs. Francisco Liriano.