Texas Rangers’ Matt Harrison comments on 3-0 win over Seattle Mariners – MLB Update
Matt Harrison picked up his 13th win of the season when the Texas Rangers nudged off the Seattle Mariners 3-0 on Sunday, September 18 at Safeco Field in Seattle.
The pitcher went up against 2010 Cy Young award winner, Felix Hernandez. Luckily he walked off with no runs as Koji Uehara saved him in the seventh inning.
Harrison was available to talk to the press and he commented about the game. The hurler had decent protection from his hitters as Adrian Beltre pulled a two-run homer and Ian Kinsler ran home for three strong runs.
The unfortunate one in the contest was Hernandez who had no cover from his hitting team-mates. Harrison spoke of the Mariners’ starter and the game, as it turned out.
"He was the Cy Young winner last year," Harrison said. "He's a tough guy, but we able to score a couple of runs. That was a big home run by Beltre. Going up against a guy like that who is tough you have to make good pitches to keep your team in the game."
Harrison was in trouble in the seventh and could have allowed four complete runs but the result counted. Texas catcher Mike Napoli had some words of praise for the regular starter.
"He was awesome," Napoli said. "He had a good curveball and he used it. He mixed it in and out and had a good sinker. He got some ground balls when he needed it."
Rangers’ manager Ron Washington had been called into action in the seventh when the Mariners placed men on all bases against Harrison. With Luis Rodriguez coming on to face the starter in the strike zone, the skipper thought it best to force the switch hitter
in to a left hand stance, even though the player had a better standing from that stance.
The skipper took off Harrison and brought on Uehara, who struck-out the last hitter in the inning to save the Rangers.
"We felt Uehara's [split-fingered fastball] would neutralize him," Washington said.
Harrison nevertheless was up to the task and he looks good to head on the third spot in the playoffs if the Rangers make it through to the postseason.
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