SEATTLE — The player that’s exceeded expectations and provided so much of the offense in recent weeks was finally joined by the two players acquired to provide offense, but haven’t lived up to those expectations yet in the early part of the season.
Jarred Kelenic continued his stellar start to the 2023 season, driving in a pair of runs, while Teoscar Hernandez and AJ Pollock showed why they were added to the roster this season, driving in the other three runs in the Mariners’ 5-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Besides the five runs of offense, the Mariners got a solid start from right-hander George Kirby, who picked up his second win of the season with an efficient outing, and scoreless relief work from Trevor Gott, Justin Topa and Paul Sewald to improve to 9-11.
After being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers and having an off day to dwell on the three consecutive losses, the Mariners’ drama-free victory offered a much-needed change.
It was one of their more complete victories of the season — quality pitching, above average offensive production and impeccable defense.
J.P. Crawford punctuated the victory with a sliding backhanded stop and long throw across the diamond to get Nolan Arenado for the Cardinals’ 27th out.
Kirby pitched six innings, allowing two runs on three hits with no walks and five strikeouts. He threw first-pitch strikes to 17 of the 22 batters he faced and he had only four three-ball counts.
In his young career, he now has 150 strikeouts and just 23 walks in 152 2/3 innings pitched.
His two runs allowed came in a lengthy second inning. Arenado led off the inning with a bloop single and Kirby hit Willson Contreras with an 0-1 sinker that left him shaking his head.
He came back to strikeout Nolan Gorman and got Lars Nootbaar to ground out to first, which allowed the runners to move up a base.
Kirby couldn’t get out of the inning unscathed. Talented rookie Jordan Walker ambushed a first-pitch slider that stayed up in the strike zone, sending a fly ball to deep right field. Hernandez retreated on the ball but couldn’t make a play near the wall. It went for a two-run double.
From there, Kirby retired the 11 hitters in a row before allowing an inconsequential one-out single to Alec Burleson in the sixth.
