Sunday Recap: Felix Hernandez dominates the Indians over eight shutout innings as Mariners win 3-0

Game 81: Mariners 3, Indians 0

Box Score

Indians fall to 39-42

Felix Hernandez didn't quite as deep into the game as Tomlin on Saturday, and he did allow three walks, but otherwise there wasn't a whole lot of difference between Tomlin's gem last night and Hernandez's gem this afternoon. Hernandez, like Tomlin, didn't allow a hit until the fifth inning, when Lonnie Chisenhall drove a single up through the middle. The Indians had four base runners, but none of them advanced even to second base. The best chance the Indians came in that fifth inning, when David Murphy followed up Chisenhall's single with a line drive at third baseman Kyle Seager, who caught the ball and doubled up Chisenhall at first.

TJ House did the best we could with what was a rather difficult situation. He had to perfect, and although he wasn't, he pitched well. He held the Mariners scoreless through five innings, getting out of a first inning jam by striking out Logan Morrison with the bases loaded. His one mistake came on a 2-0 count to Robinson Cano: he threw Cano a fastball up and tailing towards the middle of the plate, and Cano, who had been in the midst of a mini-slump jumped on it, driving it deep into the first deck beyond the right field fence. On that swing the Mariners won the game.

House, who is likely on his way back to Columbus, pitched into the seventh inning, continuing a recent trend by Tribe starting pitchers. Even though the Indians used practically everyone in the bullpen Tuesday night in Arizona, they leave Seattle in pretty good shape. Corey Kluber, Josh Tomlin, and House all went at least six innings, with Tomlin of course completing his start, so although the club head to Dodger Stadium in the midst of a 2-3 road trip, the pitching staff seems in good shape.

John Axford, who has found himself as the low man on the bullpen leverage list after starting the season as the closer, pitched a scoreless seventh, while Marc Rzepcczynski allowed a Seattle insurance run in the eighth. An insurance run the Mariners would not need, even though Hernandez was done after eight innings. Closer Fernando Rodney pitched a scoreless ninth (though Michael Brantley did hit a line shot to open the inning) to finish what was a dominating pitching performance.

Win Expectancy Chart

Source: FanGraphs

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