Red Sox split series against Mariners
SEATTLE — Garrett Whitlock continued the Red Sox’ rotation’s stellar start to the season.
The righthander went five innings Sunday, yielding just a run while striking out eight in a 5-1 win to salvage a series split with the Mariners.
Whitlock limited Seattle to just three hits in an outing that got off to a bumpy start for the righthander. Whitlock struck out the side in the first but it took him 20 pitches to do so.
In the top of the second, Tyler O’neill hit his second homer of the series — a solo shot to left field off Bryce Miller — for a 1-0 Sox lead.
But Mitch Haniger opened up the bottom of the frame with a double, followed by a Ty France single to right that put runners at the corners. Whitlock registered back-toback strikeouts, but Josh Rojas singled up the middle to tie the contest.
At the end of the inning, Whitlock’s pitch count climbed to 46, putting his chances of pitching five or more innings in jeopardy.
Yet Whitlock proceeded to retire nine of the next 10 batters he faced, leaning heavily on his changeup throughout the outing. Then the righthander got some help from his offense that had struggled against Seattle’s elite pitching staff the previous two games.
Miller, who seemed as though he found a groove, walked Triston Casas to begin the fourth. After Masataka Yoshida flew out, O’neill split the gap in right-center with what looked like extra bases — but center fielder Julio Rodriguez swiftly cut the ball off, spun and delivered a strike to second, holding O’neill to a single.
Wilyer Abreu struck out for the second out of the inning. But Enmanuel Valdez then launched a no-doubt homer off a fastball at the top of the zone for a 4-1 lead.
In the sixth, the Sox loaded the bases on a walk and two singles, and Reese Mcguire got Yoshida home on a RBI groundout to the mound to make it 5-1.
The Sox utilized offspeed pitches for much of the series. Coming into the day, the Sox had thrown 52.3 percent breaking balls, the second most in the majors. This plan of attack was, in part, due to their opponent. The Mariners hunt fastballs and have issues timing up spin.
The method is also one that represents pitching coach Andrew Bailey, whose Giants threw offspeed pitches 55.5 percent of the time last year. The Sox, meanwhile, offered offspeed just 38.4 percent of the time (28th in the majors).