SEATTLE -- Logan Forsythe said what makes a difference in a close game can be just one pitch. Or one swing.
Forsythe found the pitch he wanted and put a mighty swing on it in the ninth inning, stroking a home run off struggling Seattle Mariners closer Fernando Rodney to give the Tampa Bay Rays a 1-0 victory Friday.
Rodney (2-3) threw an inside fastball on a 2-1 count to Forsythe, who lifted it over the left-field wall for his seventh home run.
Rodney has allowed a run in nine of 13 appearances since May 1.
"Those games sometimes come down to one swing," Forsythe said. "I was able to get the barrel to it. It worked out."
The Mariners have lost seven straight, all during this homestand, and have been outscored 28-13, leaving 62 runners on base. They are hitting just .159 (10 of 63) with runners in scoring position.
Seattle's ineffective offense was no more apparent than in the bottom of the ninth after Austin Jackson led off with a triple to right off Kevin Jepsen. Right-fielder Steven Souza Jr. made a desperate dive for it, but it rolled to the wall.
"I was pretty close. Just a little more out of my reach," Souza said. "We back each other up, but that ball took a weird hop afterward."
Jepsen then struck out Brad Miller.
"You're definitely going for the strikeout there," Jepsen said. "You just have to leave it out there, everything. In that situation everything has to go right not to let that run score.
In a nine-pitch at-bat, Jepsen got Mike Zunino to pop foul to right. Dustin Ackley then flied out to left, to the accompaniment of a loud cascade of boos.
"I'm still scratching my head. This is tough," Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said. "We put ourselves in position time and time again to score runs. We just didn't get it done."
Andrew Bellatti (2-0), who worked three innings, earned the victory. Jepsen secured his third save in five opportunities.
"I can't say enough about what Bellatti did," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "Comes in, provides us those three innings against a very good hitting team. He was pretty impressive."
Unfortunately for Bellatti, the club intends to option him to Triple-A Durham and recall let-hander Enny Romero.
Seattle's Logan Morrison had a third-inning single to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. His career best is 13 straight last season.
Rays starter Jake Odorizzi had to leave with one out in the fifth with a left side tightness. He allowed just four hits, walked one and struck out four.
"Just that last pitch. It just tightened up, grabbed me. That was it," Odorizzi said. "You never felt something like that before. It's kind of startling. But it let go."
Odorizzi said no MRI is scheduled: "We (will) see how I'm feeling 24 hours from now."
J.A. Happ started and went seven innings for the Mariners. He allowed six hits, walked one and struck out six. He has had three wins and six no-decisions over his past nine starts.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rays: LHP Matt Moore is getting closer to a return after 14 months since his Tommy John surgery. He'll have his second rehab assignment Monday or Tuesday for Class-A Charlotte (Florida State League). He's expected to throw 60-65 pitches. He'll likely have three more starts before the club decides if he's ready.
Mariners: RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (strained lat) will throw off the mound Sunday, in the range of 35-40 pitches. He'll have another session Wednesday, then the club will assess if and where he'll go out on a rehab assignment. ... 1B Logan Morrison, who missed Thursday's game with back spasms -- triggered in the batting cage before the game -- was back in the lineup.
UP NEXT
Rays: RHP Alex Colome (3-2, 5.05) did not get a fair shake over his two recent starts. He matches up against 2010 Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez on Saturday, and last Monday dueled with L.A. Angels ace Garrett Richards. He lost that matchup 7-3, allowing three home runs, but matched his season-high six innings. He has allowed seven home runs in 35 2/3 innings.
Mariners: RHP Hernandez (8-2, 2.63) is coming off is worst outing of the season. He gave up seven runs in 4 2/3 innings Monday in a 7-2 loss to the Yankees. In his previous start against the Ray on May 27 in Tampa, he had his season's best outing, a complete game 3-0 shutout. He allowed just four hits, walked one and struck out eight.
GETTING ON, GETTING IN
What shows up most alarmingly for the struggling Mariners offense this season is a woeful average -- just .215 -- with runners in scoring position. That prompted the club to trade with Arizona for slugger Mark Trumbo on Wednesday. "We were 1 for 11 out there (Thursday in a 2-1 loss)," manager Lloyd McClendon said. "We need somebody to drive them in, drive `em in from first. Better yet, drive them in from home. I'll take a three-run homer any day."
BUTLER'S DOING IT
After seven-plus seasons toiling in the minor leagues, Rays OF Joey Butler is turning into an "overnight" success story. Since his promotion May 3, Butler is hitting .348 with six doubles, four home runs and 11 RBI. "We all knew that he was going to hit if given consistent at-bats," said Rays manager Kevin Cash, who was his teammate at Triple-A Round Rock in 2011. "Now to put the pressure on to say he's going to continue to hit .350, I don't think that's fair, but we'll take it as long as it lasts."
Forsythe found the pitch he wanted and put a mighty swing on it in the ninth inning, stroking a home run off struggling Seattle Mariners closer Fernando Rodney to give the Tampa Bay Rays a 1-0 victory Friday.
Rodney (2-3) threw an inside fastball on a 2-1 count to Forsythe, who lifted it over the left-field wall for his seventh home run.
Rodney has allowed a run in nine of 13 appearances since May 1.
"Those games sometimes come down to one swing," Forsythe said. "I was able to get the barrel to it. It worked out."
The Mariners have lost seven straight, all during this homestand, and have been outscored 28-13, leaving 62 runners on base. They are hitting just .159 (10 of 63) with runners in scoring position.
Seattle's ineffective offense was no more apparent than in the bottom of the ninth after Austin Jackson led off with a triple to right off Kevin Jepsen. Right-fielder Steven Souza Jr. made a desperate dive for it, but it rolled to the wall.
"I was pretty close. Just a little more out of my reach," Souza said. "We back each other up, but that ball took a weird hop afterward."
Jepsen then struck out Brad Miller.
"You're definitely going for the strikeout there," Jepsen said. "You just have to leave it out there, everything. In that situation everything has to go right not to let that run score.
In a nine-pitch at-bat, Jepsen got Mike Zunino to pop foul to right. Dustin Ackley then flied out to left, to the accompaniment of a loud cascade of boos.
"I'm still scratching my head. This is tough," Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said. "We put ourselves in position time and time again to score runs. We just didn't get it done."
Andrew Bellatti (2-0), who worked three innings, earned the victory. Jepsen secured his third save in five opportunities.
"I can't say enough about what Bellatti did," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "Comes in, provides us those three innings against a very good hitting team. He was pretty impressive."
Unfortunately for Bellatti, the club intends to option him to Triple-A Durham and recall let-hander Enny Romero.
Seattle's Logan Morrison had a third-inning single to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. His career best is 13 straight last season.
Rays starter Jake Odorizzi had to leave with one out in the fifth with a left side tightness. He allowed just four hits, walked one and struck out four.
"Just that last pitch. It just tightened up, grabbed me. That was it," Odorizzi said. "You never felt something like that before. It's kind of startling. But it let go."
Odorizzi said no MRI is scheduled: "We (will) see how I'm feeling 24 hours from now."
J.A. Happ started and went seven innings for the Mariners. He allowed six hits, walked one and struck out six. He has had three wins and six no-decisions over his past nine starts.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rays: LHP Matt Moore is getting closer to a return after 14 months since his Tommy John surgery. He'll have his second rehab assignment Monday or Tuesday for Class-A Charlotte (Florida State League). He's expected to throw 60-65 pitches. He'll likely have three more starts before the club decides if he's ready.
Mariners: RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (strained lat) will throw off the mound Sunday, in the range of 35-40 pitches. He'll have another session Wednesday, then the club will assess if and where he'll go out on a rehab assignment. ... 1B Logan Morrison, who missed Thursday's game with back spasms -- triggered in the batting cage before the game -- was back in the lineup.
UP NEXT
Rays: RHP Alex Colome (3-2, 5.05) did not get a fair shake over his two recent starts. He matches up against 2010 Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez on Saturday, and last Monday dueled with L.A. Angels ace Garrett Richards. He lost that matchup 7-3, allowing three home runs, but matched his season-high six innings. He has allowed seven home runs in 35 2/3 innings.
Mariners: RHP Hernandez (8-2, 2.63) is coming off is worst outing of the season. He gave up seven runs in 4 2/3 innings Monday in a 7-2 loss to the Yankees. In his previous start against the Ray on May 27 in Tampa, he had his season's best outing, a complete game 3-0 shutout. He allowed just four hits, walked one and struck out eight.
GETTING ON, GETTING IN
What shows up most alarmingly for the struggling Mariners offense this season is a woeful average -- just .215 -- with runners in scoring position. That prompted the club to trade with Arizona for slugger Mark Trumbo on Wednesday. "We were 1 for 11 out there (Thursday in a 2-1 loss)," manager Lloyd McClendon said. "We need somebody to drive them in, drive `em in from first. Better yet, drive them in from home. I'll take a three-run homer any day."
BUTLER'S DOING IT
After seven-plus seasons toiling in the minor leagues, Rays OF Joey Butler is turning into an "overnight" success story. Since his promotion May 3, Butler is hitting .348 with six doubles, four home runs and 11 RBI. "We all knew that he was going to hit if given consistent at-bats," said Rays manager Kevin Cash, who was his teammate at Triple-A Round Rock in 2011. "Now to put the pressure on to say he's going to continue to hit .350, I don't think that's fair, but we'll take it as long as it lasts."
10:10PM,EDT,June 5,2015
Safeco Field, Seattle, Washington
Safeco Field, Seattle, Washington
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Tampa Bay - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| J.A. Happ pitching for Seattle | TB | SEA |
| Guyer singled to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Butler lined out to right. | 0 | 0 |
| Longoria singled to right center, Guyer to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Guyer caught stealing third, pitcher to third, Longoria to second on runner's fielder's choice. | 0 | 0 |
| Forsythe struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Seattle - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Jake Odorizzi pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | SEA |
| Morrison grounded out to first. | 0 | 0 |
| Canó grounded out to first. | 0 | 0 |
| Cruz singled to right center. | 0 | 0 |
| Seager singled to left, Cruz to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Trumbo grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, Seager out at second. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| J.A. Happ pitching for Seattle | TB | SEA |
| Souza Jr. grounded out to third. | 0 | 0 |
| Elmore fouled out to catcher. | 0 | 0 |
| Cabrera grounded out to third. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Seattle - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Jake Odorizzi pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | SEA |
| S. Smith grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| Miller struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Zunino lined out to right. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| J.A. Happ pitching for Seattle | TB | SEA |
| Kiermaier struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Wilson flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Guyer grounded out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Seattle - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Jake Odorizzi pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | SEA |
| Ackley struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Morrison singled to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Canó flied out to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Cruz grounded out to first. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| J.A. Happ pitching for Seattle | TB | SEA |
| Butler grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| Longoria singled to right. | 0 | 0 |
| Forsythe flied out to right. | 0 | 0 |
| Longoria caught stealing second, catcher to second. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Seattle - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Jake Odorizzi pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | SEA |
| Seager lined out to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| Trumbo struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| S. Smith struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| J.A. Happ pitching for Seattle | TB | SEA |
| Souza Jr. struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Elmore doubled to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Elmore to third on wild pitch by Happ. | 0 | 0 |
| Cabrera struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Kiermaier struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Seattle - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Jake Odorizzi pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | SEA |
| Miller reached on infield single to pitcher. | 0 | 0 |
| Zunino grounded out to first, Miller to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Ackley walked. | 0 | 0 |
| Cedeño relieved Odorizzi. | 0 | 0 |
| Morrison grounded out to third, Miller to third, Ackley to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Canó grounded out to first. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| J.A. Happ pitching for Seattle | TB | SEA |
| Wilson struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Guyer popped out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Butler doubled to deep center. | 0 | 0 |
| Longoria intentionally walked. | 0 | 0 |
| Forsythe lined out to third. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Seattle - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Andrew Bellatti pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | SEA |
| Bellatti relieved Cedeño. | 0 | 0 |
| Cruz struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Seager grounded out to first. | 0 | 0 |
| Trumbo struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| J.A. Happ pitching for Seattle | TB | SEA |
| Souza Jr. popped out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Elmore singled to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Cabrera flied out to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Kiermaier popped out to first. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Seattle - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| Andrew Bellatti pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | SEA |
| S. Smith walked. | 0 | 0 |
| Jackson ran for S. Smith. | 0 | 0 |
| Miller grounded into fielder's choice to second, Jackson out at second. | 0 | 0 |
| Zunino struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Ackley singled to right center, Miller to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Morrison walked, Miller to third, Ackley to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Canó grounded out to first. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Carson Smith pitching for Seattle | TB | SEA |
| Jackson in center field. | 0 | 0 |
| Ackley in left field. | 0 | 0 |
| C. Smith relieved Happ. | 0 | 0 |
| DeJesus hit for Wilson. | 0 | 0 |
| DeJesus flied out to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Guyer grounded out to third. | 0 | 0 |
| Butler hit by pitch. | 0 | 0 |
| Longoria grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Seattle - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| Andrew Bellatti pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | SEA |
| Rivera catching. | 0 | 0 |
| Cruz singled to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Seager lined out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Trumbo grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, Cruz out at second. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Fernando Rodney pitching for Seattle | TB | SEA |
| Rodney relieved C. Smith. | 0 | 0 |
| Forsythe homered to left (378 feet). | 1 | 0 |
| Souza Jr. flied out to right. | 1 | 0 |
| Elmore grounded out to second. | 1 | 0 |
| Cabrera fouled out to third. | 1 | 0 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Seattle - Bottom of 9th | SCORE | |
| Kevin Jepsen pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | SEA |
| Jepsen relieved Bellatti. | 1 | 0 |
| Jackson tripled to deep right center. | 1 | 0 |
| Miller struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
| Zunino fouled out to right. | 1 | 0 |
| Ackley flied out to left. | 1 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay Rays | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| Guyer LF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | .289 | .361 | .398 |
| Butler DH | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | .337 | .371 | .543 |
| Longoria 3B | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | .273 | .351 | .414 |
| Forsythe 2B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 | .282 | .370 | .473 |
| Souza Jr. RF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15 | .225 | .324 | .455 |
| Elmore 1B | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | .277 | .306 | .426 |
| Cabrera SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 | .205 | .260 | .311 |
| Kiermaier CF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17 | .232 | .271 | .399 |
| Wilson C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | .154 | .214 | .154 |
a-DeJesus PH
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .320 | .374 | .484 |
Rivera C
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .160 | .204 | .243 |
| Totals | 32 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 133 | |||
| a-flied out to left for B Wilson in the 8th | ||||||||||
| BATTING 2B: Elmore (4, Happ); Butler (7, Happ) HR: Forsythe (7, 9th inning off Rodney 0 on, 0 Out) RBI: Forsythe (25) Rays RISP: 0-4 (Kiermaier 0-1, Cabrera 0-1, Forsythe 0-2) Team LOB: 6 | ||||||||||
| BASERUNNING CS: Longoria (1, 2nd base by Happ/Zunino); Guyer (2, 3rd base by Happ) | ||||||||||
| FIELDING DP: 1 (Cabrera-Forsythe-Elmore). | ||||||||||
Game Notes
| SP ODORIZZI LEFT GAME (LEFT OBLIQUE) BOT 5TH |
Game Information
| Stadium | Safeco Field, Seattle, WA |
| Attendance | 20,695 (43.5% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 2:55 |
| Weather | 77 degrees, clear |
| Wind | 3 mph |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Adrian Johnson, First Base - John Tumpane, Second Base - Doug Eddings, Third Base - Jim Wolf |
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