Ryan Rowland-Smith finally notched up a win as an official starter against the Twins yesterday. He was given a bit of run support from the M's offense, and took advantage of it. The victory takes him to a record of 3-2, and comes after a strong outing against the A's last week. The game against the A's was a big stepping stone for Ryan, as he threw 114 pitches over 7 innings, striking out six. It was especially notable because the previous start he gave up 10 hits and 5 runs against the Twins.
He didnt do it all easy against the Twins this time round, and dug himself out of a couple of holes. The first two innings went by relatively easily, but in the third he found himself with runners on second and third, with the dangerous Joe Mauer at the plate. However, he stood his ground and was able to draw a groundout thanks to a great grab by firstbaseman Bryan LaHair, and good hustle from RRS to cover the bag. Again, in the sixth inning he found himself in another tricky situation. With runners at the corners and none out he had Justin Morneau ground into a double play - driving in a run. He then gave up a solo homer to Randy Ruiz, before striking out Delmon Young with a seething 92mph fastball.
After the Mariners reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the 6th, Ryan came out for a 1-2-3 inning in the 7th, before being taken out of the game, hanging on to a 3-2 lead.
Young Seattle reliever Roy Corcoran managed to get the save and Rowland-Smith was awarded the win. Somewhat amazingly (although perhaps not surprisingly), RRS is only the second M's pitcher this year (Felix Hernandez was the other) to pitch at least seven innings in back-to-back starts. What an amazing stat, and one that highlights how pathetic the Mariners' rotation has been. Right from spring training RRS has been dishing out the pitching lessons to the Mariners more fancied names. What a bust Erik Bedard has been! I bet they wish they could send him back to the O's!
Not only did he earn the win, he also earned some good wraps from Twins' manager Ron Gardenhire:
"Rowland pitched against us well,” Gardenhire said. “He’s effectively in and out of the zone. His ball’s surprising. He’s got some zip. He’s learned to throw breaking balls. We saw him a few years ago. We Rule 5′d him, and you know what? He’s come a long way as a pitcher. He’s a big-strong pitcher, and he kind of shut us down."
Mariners manager Jim Riggleman backed up Gardenhire's kind words:"He did a good job for us in the bullpen and made a case for himself there. But to pitch like he has now after coming back from the minor leagues as a starter, it will be a real boost if he can continue anything like this."
Its all looking good for Ryan at this time of the season. The Mariners season is all but over, but there is plenty for him to play for, and it seems he is doing a good job. His next start is likely to be against the under-the-radar Cleveland Indians at Cleveland. Hopefully he will keep up the good form (and the M's bats will give him something to work with).
Check out the latest interview from KOMO radio, Ryan Rowland-Smith talks about winning silver at the 2004 Olympics, including facing his M's teammate Kenji Johjima to make the gold medal game. He seems to be a real easygoing, but hardworking, baseball-loving bloke. Check out the interview here
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