James Paxton ties Mariners record with seventh straight win

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A must win in August? That seems like a little bit of a stretch considering after Friday night the Mariners still have 51 games remaining in the season.

But in the immediacy of this key four-game series with the Kansas City Royals, the prospect of the Mariners losing a game with James Paxton on the mound would’ve erased any chances of a series win, made even salvaging a series split seem unlikely and getting swept a looming possibility.

And as the seventh inning began, the Mariners were trending toward a third straight defeat, down a run with an offense that seemed out of sorts and was missing cleanup hitter Nelson Cruz, who had been scratched from the lineup just before the game due to neck spasms.

Saturday

Mariners @ Royals, 4:15 p.m., ROOT Sports

But Seattle scored three runs in the top of the seventh on run-scoring hits from Guillermo Heredia, Jarrod Dyson and Leonys Martin, and tacked on another in the eighth to rally for a 5-2 win over the Royals.

The Mariners improved to 56-55 on the season. They are now 52-18 when scoring four or more runs in a game.

“Outstanding come-from-behind win for us,” manager Scott Servais said. “It didn’t seem like there was going to be a lot of runs scored, but we were able to put some pressure on them and put a crooked number up there.”

It’s been quite obvious this season that Paxton is the Mariners’ best starting pitcher. While he’s always had top-of-the-rotation stuff, he’s now also using it effectively and pitching with the mentality befitting his ability.

“He’s absolutely carried us,” Servais said. “There’s no doubt. He’s embracing being the guy that we look to. Good for him, he’s worked his tail off. If you look at where he was a year ago to where he’s come, it’s awesome.”

Paxton pitched six innings, giving up two runs on four hits with a walk and seven strikeouts to improve to 12-3. It was his seventh straight win, tying the club record held by Jamie Moyer and Scott Bankhead.

“He’s going to give you everything he’s got and you know you have a good shot to win that game,” Dyson said.

Paxton cruised through the first four innings, allowing just one base runner — a leadoff walk to Whit Merrifield to start the fourth.

But his early no-hit bid was broken up with one out in the fifth inning on a Mike Moustakas single to right. He would later score on Brandon Moss’ two-out single to left field, tying the score at 1-1. It was the first run Paxton had allowed in 21 innings.

“They got a look at me and started to get on me,” Paxton said. “My breaking stuff was on and off. They strung some hits together.”

He lost the lead an inning later. He gave up a double to Merrifield and a single to Lorenzo Cain to put runners on the corners. A passed ball moved Cain into scoring position.

But after getting a ground out from Melky Cabrera and striking out Eric Hosmer, it looked as though Paxton might escape unscathed. But a curveball in the dirt to Salvador Perez bounced off the chest protector of Mike Zunino. The ball skirted far enough from home that Merrifield decided to make a break for the plate.

Zunino got to the ball and tossed it to Paxton, who was charging from the mound. As Paxton went to catch the ball and make a sliding tag on the hustling Merrifield, the ball didn’t stay in his glove and the Royals had a 2-1 lead.

“I went for the tag a split second too soon,” Paxton said. “It just ticked off the end of my glove. If I wait a split second to catch the ball, I probably could’ve got him. Z made a good feed. But I just didn’t catch it.”

Seattle got a first-inning run off Royals starter and South Kitsap grad Jason Hammel. But the M’s didn’t score again until the seventh. Kyle Seager singled with one out, stole second and scored on Heredia’s double to left field. The Royals went to lefty Ryan Buchter in relief. But Dyson hurt his old team for the second straight game, slapping a single into center that allowed Heredia to score. With two outs and Dyson on second, Martin blooped a single into right to make it 4-2.

The Mariners bullpen was perfect. David Phelps was dominant in the seventh. Nick Vincent pitched a quick 1-2-3 eighth and Edwin Diaz recorded his 22nd save without drama.

Wild things

AL wild-card standings:

Team
W-L
GB

N.Y. Yankees
57-51
+1

Kansas City
56-52
—

Tampa Bay
57-54
½

Seattle
56-55
1½

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Colon goes distance, Minnesota beats Texas 8-4 (Aug 04, 2017)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) A performance like Bartolo Colon’s hasn’t occurred in more than 25 years.

Colon threw his first complete game in almost two years to earn his first win with Minnesota, Brian Dozier homered twice and the Twins beat the Texas Rangers 8-4 on Friday night.

At 44 years and 72 days, Colon is the oldest American League player to win a complete game since Nolan Ryan (45 years and 155 days) on July 4, 1992.

”At my age, being able to throw nine innings is impressive,” Colon said through an interpreter. He threw 106 pitches, 78 strikes.

Colon, who signed with Minnesota on July 7, has won games with 10 different teams, trailing the major league record of 11 set by LaTroy Hawkins, Mike Morgan and Ron Villone.

In his fourth start for Minnesota, Colon (3-9) scattered nine hits and allowed four earned runs for his 37th career complete game and first since Sept. 5, 2015 with the New York Mets. He struck out five and walked one for his first win in nine starts since May 15 with Atlanta.

Only three times did Colon have to face five hitters in an inning, including the first, when a complete game seemed unrealistic.

Shin-Soo Choo singled on Colon’s first pitch and Elvis Andrus hit the first of his three doubles on the second. Adrian Beltre hit a two-run single two batters later.

”After that first inning when Andrus got the double and the first guy got on base, I knew that I had to start throwing a lot of breaking balls and that’s what I did,” Colon said.

”When he’s filling up the zone pitch after pitch and just relying on defense, nibbling on the outer half and inner half, and then every now and then flipping the slider and changeup in, you can’t write it any better,” Dozier said.

PEREZ STILL STRUGGLING

Texas starter Martin Perez (5-10) allowed seven earned runs in 4 2/3 innings, dropping to 0-4 with a 9.41 ERA in his last four starts.

”They don’t swing at bad pitches so I think I was doing something wrong with my delivery tonight,” he said.

Since coming off the disabled list July 3, Perez has a 7.27 ERA and one win in six starts.

He allowed five earned runs before Texas recorded four outs, but settled in to retire nine straight batters before Joe Mauer was hit by a pitch in the fifth.

Needing 40 pitches to get through the opening inning, Perez allowed five hits, including home runs by Dozier and Robbie Grossman, and walked two. A double play with the bases loaded ended the inning.

”Fastballs were mid-across, changeups were a ball out of the hand and there was no real depth to the breaking ball. It felt like after the second home run he got settled in and found a way to make some pitches,” Texas manager Jeff Banister said.

DOZIER’S DINGERS

This was the seventh career multi-homer game for Dozier and second of the season. He also did it May 2 against Oakland. His leadoff home run in the first inning was his fifth this year and 24th of his career.

Dozier, who also homered to start the second inning for a 5-2 lead, finished with three hits after going 5 for 37 in his previous eight games.

TRAINERS ROOM

Rangers: RHP Tyson Ross, on the 10-day disabled list since July 24 with a blister on his right index finger, is scheduled to make his second rehab start Saturday with Double-A Frisco.

Twins: 3B Miguel Sano left the game in the sixth inning with a left hand contusion after being hit by a pitch. X-rays were negative and the team’s home run leader with 25 is day to day. … LHP Hector Santiago was in the clubhouse after throwing 92 pitches in his third rehab start for Triple-A Rochester on Thursday. He’s been on the disabled list since July 3 with an upper back strain. Manager Paul Molitor said Santiago’s next step is uncertain.

UP NEXT

Rangers: LHP Cole Hamels (5-1. 4.01) has allowed 14 earned runs in 17.1 innings over his last three starts, but allowed just three in six innings Monday against Seattle. He also struck out a season-high seven.

Twins: RHP Kyle Gibson (6-8, 6.08) returns from Triple-A Rochester to start Saturday. Sent down July 25, he allowed one hit in five shutout innings in his lone start with the Red Wings July 27. OF Zack Granite was sent down to make room for Gibson.

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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

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