Gonzales, Mariners win DH opener vs. O's

Seattle’s ace is starting to look like his old self.

Marco Gonzales put together his best outing of the season as the Mariners beat the Orioles, 4-2, in the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader at Oriole Park, allowing two runs across five innings with five strikeouts.

Gonzales was a different pitcher from the first inning onwards. The southpaw needed nearly three dozen pitches to get out of a rough opening frame, allowing a two-run home run to Trey Mancini and two very loud singles to Ryan Mountcastle and Pedro Severino.

After the first, Gonzales was nearly perfect, allowing just one baserunner in the latter four innings of his outing. At one point, Gonzales retired 10 straight batters before allowing a leadoff walk to Freddy Galvis in the bottom of the fifth.

Gonzales’ afternoon can be summarized by his inning-by-inning pitch count. In the first inning, Gonzales threw 34 pitches. For innings two-through-five, Gonzales only needed 49 pitches, including just eight in the second inning.

The lefty’s success was a product of his control. When Gonzales painted the corners, he got outs. When he left the ball over the plate, he got hammered. Mancini’s home run came on a sinker that Gonzales left right down the middle.

While Gonzales’ third start was a positive step forward, the long ball remains a problem. In 15 1/3 innings this season, Gonzales has already allowed six home runs. Last season, Gonzales only allowed eight home runs in 69 2/3 innings. Additionally, nine of Gonzales’ 14 earned runs this season have come via the long ball.