Do the Seattle Mariners dare take Jorge Polanco out of the lineup?
That will be the question facing manager Dan Wilson on Wednesday afternoon when the American League West leaders host the cellar-dwelling Los Angeles Angels in the finale of a two-game series.
The Angels are scheduled to start left-hander Tyler Anderson (2-0, 2.60 ERA).
A lineup spot wouldn’t normally be an issue for the switch-hitting Polanco, but he’s been serving as the designated hitter and batting almost exclusively left-handed — just one plate appearance against a lefty pitcher since March 31 — because of a mild oblique strain.
Considering what Polanco has done recently, perhaps he should just stick with what’s working.
The reigning AL player of the week homered twice and drove in all five runs Tuesday night in Seattle’s 5-3 win over the Angels.
“It was all Polanco’s night,” said Angels manager Ron Washington, who was celebrating his 73rd birthday. “If we keep him down a little bit more, it could be a different ballgame.”
Polanco hit a three-run homer in the second inning and a two-run shot in the seventh. He was robbed of a potential third homer on a leaping catch by Angels center fielder Jo Adell in the fifth.
“It’s been a really good stretch, really fun,” Polanco said. “Right now, with my approach and everything, I think this is the best I’ve (ever) felt.”
Polanco, who also went deep twice Saturday in a 14-0 victory against visiting Miami, has six homers over his past six games and nine for the season. He is tied for second in the AL with the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge, the Angels’ Mike Trout and the Athletics’ Tyler Soderstrom — one behind teammate Cal Raleigh.
Though the Mariners also have tried to give Polanco plenty of rest following offseason knee surgery, one thing Wilson might consider when filling out the lineup card is left-handed batters are hitting .348 against Anderson this season, while righties are batting .120. Polanco, however, is 0-for-6 against Anderson.
Overall, Anderson is 1-2 with a 5.22 ERA in eight career appearances (all starts) versus the Mariners.
While the Mariners have won three consecutive games and 14 of 19 to go from last to first in the division, the Angels have done the opposite. They’ve dropped four in a row and 12 of 16.
Logan O’Hoppe, one of the few bright spots offensively for the Angels, hit his eighth homer Tuesday. The Angels’ .211 batting average is better than only the Chicago White Sox (.208). They struck out 11 times in the series opener, the 13th time in the past 16 games they’ve reached double digits.
The Angels hit three doubles in the eighth inning to score a pair of runs before Mariners reliever Andres Munoz pitched a scoreless ninth for his MLB-leading 11th save.
“We’ve got guys that can hit the ball out of the ballpark, but I don’t want to be a home-run-hitting team,” Washington said. “I just want to be a team that continues to pass the baton over to the next guy.”
The Angels will try to do that in the series finale against Seattle right-hander Emerson Hancock (1-1, 7.71 ERA).
Hancock has made two solid starts in a row after failing to get out of the first inning in his initial appearance of the season. Most recently, he gave up two runs and five hits over six innings in an 8-5 win over Boston on Wednesday. He will face the Angels for the first time.
–Field Level Media
