Felix Hernandez shines as Seattle Mariners defeat Oakland Athletics 6-2 – MLB Update
Felix Hernandez produced a splendid performance, tossing five strike-out innings as the Seattle Mariners beat Oakland Athletics 6-2 at Oakland Coliseum on Friday, April 1.
Hernandez, making his first start of the regular season, struggled in the first inning, as he received a two-run homer off Josh Willingham to left-field and tossed three balls, one foul. The right-handed pitcher recuperated immediately restricting the opposition
from scoring any run in the later innings.
The Cy Young Award winner, making his fourth opening day outing, pitched nine innings without any reliever and ended the game with a 2.00 ERA striking-out five sluggers.
One of the youngest starters for the Athletics, Trevor Cahill making his fifth career start pitched impressively allowing nothing until the third inning when Jack Cust walked and Ichiro Suzuki made a run. Cahill, having a 2.93 ERA in five starts, bounced
back and made eight strike-outs over his four innings spell.
Cahill was not happy with fielding errors that Kevin Kouzmanoff committed in the fourth. Trevor acknowledged it more than normal and considered the club’s contribution as little less than their usual high calibre play.
Oakland repeated the same four errors they did three years ago against the same opponents in Opening Day on April 5. Manager Bob Geren seemed discontent.
"Just a poor night all the way around. Too many walks, too many errors," Geren said. "You're not going to see that from this club very often. That's not the recipe that we need to win."
Mariners’ third baseman Chone Figgins launched a leading grand slam in the sixth inning to left-field off Athletics’ reliever Craig Breslow, who consumed three runs on three hits in less than an inning. Mariners kept going until they achieved their first
win and shattered their five game losing streak under new manger Eric Wedge.
Wedge was impressed with Hernandez and credited the victory to his name. The Mariners were satisfied with their crucial win over the Athletics to start the new season on a positive note. The Athletics will be looking to improve their form and manage their
offence more aggressively.
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