CLEVELAND: The Indians and Seattle Mariners traded punches in an offensive-powered first inning before the lights went out for the rest of a miserably cold Saturday afternoon. It was the Indians’ initial strike that proved to be enough to hold up and support starter Danny Salazar and the bullpen in a 4-3 win at Progressive Field.
Salazar got the first two outs of the game before the wheels came off. Salazar has had some issues with the first inning this season and, on Saturday, the Mariners quickly capitalized. Robinson Cano began the rally with a double down the left field line. The next two pitches, one to Nelson Cruz and one to Kyle Seager, were belted over the fence for back-to-back home runs and a quick 3-0 lead for the Mariners.
That lead didn’t last through the bottom half of the first inning. Mariners starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo struggled to find the strike zone, walking three of the first four hitters to load the bases with one out. Jose Ramirez continued his torrid April, lining a two-run double to right field to cut the lead to 3-2. Two batters later, Lonnie Chisenhall singled up the middle to put the Indians on top 4-3.
From there, both offenses effectively shut down. The Indians combined to throw eight no-hit innings after the three-run first and they could only muster three singles in separate innings against the Mariners.
“I would have not thought that was going to happen,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “On three pitches, [they get] their runs, and then from there [we] buckled down and held them. We came back and answered, which was huge.”
Salazar recovered to throw 6⅓ innings, striking out six. Andrew Miller finished the seventh and pitched the eighth, striking out four more, and Cody Allen converted his sixth save in as many chances this season.
Salazar was so effective in the middle innings the Indians ended up not having to go to Nick Goody or Boone Logan, both of whom had begun warming up in the bullpen. Salazar’s recovery and ability to last deep into the game after a poor start is one of the progressions the Indians have been looking for since his rookie season. On Saturday, he showed it, getting six outs on 14 pitches in the fifth and sixth innings to get the ball to Miller still holding a one-run lead.
“I don’t know if that would have happened a few years ago,” Francona said. “The hard thing from where we sit is when it happens where he gave up three early, now we had Boone up in the fifth. You’re trying not to penalize a guy for what he did early, but when you have a high pitch count and we’ve got lefties [coming up], but [then] he just reeled off like six outs.”
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ.