The Mariners beat the Padres 4-0 en route to their fourth straight win behind a masterful performance by the young phenom, Michael Pineda. Pineda only allowed two hits and struck out nine Padres in seven innings. For the eighth straight game, a Mariners starter has pitched at least seven innings. After Saturday night's performance, Pineda has become the odd-on favorite to win AL Rookie of the Year if he was not already.
David Pauley and Jamey Wright secured the shut out after Pineda left after seven innings.
Mike Wilson and Jack Wilson, the Mariners seven and eight hitters were responsible for three of the Mariners four runs. In the second inning, Mike Wilson singled a ground ball into right field to drive in Franklin Gutierrez. Immediately after, Jack Wilson hit a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Brendan Ryan from third.
After losses by both the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics, the fourth place Mariners are now only 1.5 games out of first place. They have a chance to gain even more ground in Sunday's game with Felix Hernandez taking the mound against a struggling Padres offense.