challenge to develop young talent, the thought of pinch-hitting for
Michael Saunders never crossed the mind of Seattle manager Don Wakamatsu
even with Boston lefty Hideki Okajima on the mound and a trio of
right-handed bats on the bench.
The Red Sox may be cursing Saunders
for some time to come.
A day after breaking up Jon Lester's
no-hit bid with a two-run homer, Saunders came through again Sunday. His
two-run single in the eighth inning gave Seattle the lead, Milton
Bradley followed with a squeeze bunt to score another run, and the
Mariners rallied for a 4-2 win over the Red Sox on Sunday.
Saunders entered the weekend with just
four hits all season against left-handed pitching. He got two against
Lester, including the go-ahead homer in the sixth inning.
A day later, and with his confidence
building, the Mariners young left fielder slashed a 1-2 pitch from
Okajima into right field to score Jose Lopez and Justin Smoak, with
third-base coach Lee Tinsley chasing Smoak almost to the dirt circle
around home plate to get the lead run across.
Saunders is now hitting .309 over his
last 19 games.
"We've talked about the necessity for
him to face left-handers and continue to play. That's just some more of
the investment in his future," Wakamatsu said.
The surprising Seattle rally left the
Red Sox wondering how a possible sweep in Seattle became an unlikely
split of the four-game series as part of Boston's 10-game West Coast
swing.
There were plenty of issues for the
Red to Sox ponder aside from Saunders. Okajima had an opportunity to
stem Seattle's eighth inning rally if he makes the correct play on Casey
Kotchman's sacrifice bunt, instead of hesitating and leaving everyone
safe and the bases loaded.
"We always give them the option you
know if you're not sure, get an out," Boston manager Terry Francona
said. "From there it just, I don't know if he didn't have a handle, it
didn't look like there was a lot of urgency. They're trying to give you
an out and you'll take it, and a lot of times good things don't happen."
There's also Boston's sputtering
offense that scored just four runs in the final three games of the
series in Seattle — and without facing Seattle ace Felix Hernandez.
All those factors left the Red Sox
quiet and frustrated, and eight games back of the Yankees in the
American League East.
"Their pitching is not bad, but we
should be able to hit better against them," Boston's David Ortiz said.
"We're not facing power pitching. We have the experience and the ability
to dominate."
Seattle's rally started innocently
enough with singles by Lopez and Smoak. Kotchman's bunt was botched by
Okajima and Saunders hit gave Seattle a 3-2 lead.
Bradley, pinch-hitting, followed
Saunders with a squeeze bunt for a base hit – done on his own – that
scored Kotchman.
"Man on third, no outs, the last
thing they probably expected me to do was bunt," Bradley said. "I knew
if I put it down there on the right side it was an easy run."
Okajima (3-3) gave up two runs and
five hits. One of the runs in the inning was charged to Daniel Bard, who
allowed Lopez's single.
Seattle's rally ruined a strong
effort by Boston starter Daisuke Matsuzaka, who struggled with major
control problems early before settling down to be in line for his third
straight win.
Matsuzaka was wild early, at one
point in the third inning already over 60 pitches and with an equal
number of strikes and balls. But the Japanese righty settled down and
retired 10 of the final 11 batters he faced. After Matsuzaka escaped a
bases loaded jam in the third, he started rolling, setting down the
Mariners in order in the fourth, then allowed one base runner in the
fifth that was left at second base.
But his high pitch count early forced
Matsuzaka out after six innings and Seattle took advantage of Boston's
bullpen. Matsuzaka allowed just one run and four hits, but was hampered
by five walks. He struck out four.
"I was just desperate in trying to do
what I could to give our team a chance to win," Matsuzaka said.
Chris Seddon worked 2 2/3 perfect
innings of relief for Seattle, but it was Brandon League (8-6) getting
the win after he struck out Kevin Youkilis for the final out of the
eighth inning. David Aardsma pitched the ninth for his 18th save in 22
chances.
Boston's only runs came in the fourth
off Seattle starter Doug Fister. Kevin Youkilis doubled to score J.D.
Drew and Adrian Beltre singled to score Ortiz. But Boston didn't have a
base runner after the fifth.
Notes
Smoak's single in the eighth
was just his third hit of Seattle's seven-game homestand. He was
3-for-28 in the homestand. … Francona said it's possible injured C
Victor Martinez will be activated during the Red Sox upcoming series
against the Angels.