by ldh2013 » Tue Jun 07, 2016 8:33 am
ATLANTA -- Lloyd McClendons unusual lineup left the Seattle manager answering questions about his teams scoring potential. . As it turned out, Hisashi Iwakuma and the Mariners stingy bullpen didnt need much offence. Iwakuma combined with two relievers on a six-hit shutout and the streaking Mariners beat the Atlanta Braves 2-0 on Wednesday to complete a two-game sweep. Cole Gillespie and Kyle Seager hit run-scoring singles. Seattle has won five straight, matching its longest winning streak of the season. Perhaps the most puzzling piece of the lineup was Stefen Romero, who hit cleanup for the first time this season. "Somebody has got to hit there," McClendon said before the game. "I dont have Bonds, so its going to be Romero." Romero, who hit a pinch-hit homer in Tuesday nights 7-5 win over the Braves, took a .204 batting average into the game. He came through with two hits, including a triple, and scored a run. Willie Bloomquist had a single and a walk as he started at first base for the first time in four years and hit leadoff for only the second time this year. Iwakuma overcame an early start -- 9:10 a.m. in Seattle -- and Atlantas heat to dominate the Braves. The first-pitch temperature was 84 degrees. Iwakuma (4-2) gave up only six hits with seven strikeouts and no walks in seven innings. The right-hander was sharp, throwing 71 of his 96 pitches for strikes. "I knew I needed to focus more than regular games because of the heat," Iwakuma said through a translator. "I was just trying to focus and get quick outs to go deeper in the game and thats what I was able to do." Mike Minor (2-4) allowed only one run in seven innings, but the Braves fell to 0-6 in interleague games. Yoervis Medina pitched a perfect eighth before Fernando Rodney earned his 16th save with three straight outs in the ninth. Seattle relievers threw eight scoreless innings in the two-game sweep. The Braves were held scoreless in the final seven innings of Tuesday nights loss. The streak of consecutive scoreless innings reached 16 on Wednesday. "We had a tough time figuring out their starter," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "The guys only throwing 87, 88 miles an hour but he sure looked like he was throwing a lot harder. I know he had movement and some deception but we didnt square up too many balls against him. He was pretty darn good." Iwakuma, a 2013 All-Star, gave up a combined nine runs in back-to-back losses to Houston and Detroit before returning to form against the Braves. "He was much better getting the ball down in the zone," Seattle catcher Mike Zunino said. "We wanted to make an emphasis on keeping the ball down and he was. He was able to get to that bottom shelf and stay there for the majority of the game and just mix all his pitches." Gillespies RBI single in the fourth gave Seattle a 1-0 lead that held until the eighth, when Romero tripled off Luis Avilan. Pinch-runner James Jones scored on Seagers single to right field. Minor allowed only five hits and one run in seven innings. He matched his season high with 10 strikeouts. Freddie Freeman had three strikeouts against Iwakuma and finished 0-for-4. Gonzalez unsuccessfully challenged first-base umpire Will Littles ninth-inning call that Justin Upton was out at first base on the throw from shortstop Brad Miller. The review lasted only 40 seconds. NOTES: Seattle also won five straight from May 3-7. ... Bloomquists last start at first base came in 2010 with Kansas City. The versatile Bloomquist also has started at second base, third base, shortstop, left field and right field this season, and he is the emergency catcher. ... Seattle players wore T-shirts honouring athletic trainer Rick Griffins 5,000th regular-season game. He joined the team in 1983. ... The Braves and Mariners are off on Thursday. The Braves open a weekend series at Arizona on Friday, when RHP Julio Teheran faces RHP Brandon McCarthy. Seattles east coast swing shifts to Tampa Bay, when Mariners RHP Chris Young will face LHP Erik Bedard. . On Sunday afternoon, they sparked the Capitals to a much-needed victory. On a day when Alex Ovechkin was held to one shot on goal, the Capitals third line scored twice in a three-goal first period and the Capitals held on for 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. . With their second-round pick in Saturdays NHL draft at No. 36, the Canucks took the highest-ranked goalie on the board, Thatcher Demko, as new general manager Jim Benning begins the process of replenishing the organizations goaltending depth. .com) - The Montreal Canadiens aim to extend their impressive start on the road this season as they visit the Minnesota Wild for Friday nights encounter.(SportsNetwork.com) - After sweeping a home-and-home series from the rival Pittsburgh Penguins over the weekend, the Philadelphia Flyers will try to stay hot when they host the Chicago Blackhawks in Tuesdays inter-conference showdown at Wells Fargo Center. Watch the game live on TSN2 starting at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The Flyers had lost two straight before beating the Penguins twice over the span of two days. Philadelphia hosted the Metropolitan Division leaders on Saturday and notched a 4-0 win behind a 25-save shutout from Steve Mason. The Flyers then headed across Pennsylvania to take a 4-3 decision in Pittsburgh on Sunday, with Mason picking up another win after making 20 saves. Matt Read scored twice for the Flyers on Saturday and Wayne Simmonds pumped home a pair of first-period power-play goals in Sundays triumph. The Flyers chased Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury with three goals in the first 14 minutes on Sunday before holding on for the 4-3 win. "Our team will get confidence from this. Any time you can beat Pittsburgh twice, even twice in a row, its a big boost. Thats still a very good team over there," offered Flyers head coach Craig Berube. Brayden Schenn tallied at even strength on Sunday and Read added a short- handed marker. Flyers captain Claude Giroux contributed a pair of assists in his 400th NHL game. The productive weekend pushed Philadelphia into second place in the Metropolitan Division, but the Pens still hold a 15-point lead atop the division. The Flyers are one point ahead of both Columbus and the New York Rangers in the competitive battle for the divisions three automatic playoff spots. The Flyers are kicking off a four-game homestand on Tuesday and also will host Dallas, St. Louis and Los Angeles during the stay in South Philadelphia. Berubes club is 19-12-1 at Wells Fargo this season and has won six of its last eight games as the host. The Blackhawks are vissiting Philly for the second time since clinching a Stanley Cup title in the City of Brotherly Love on June 9, 2010. . Chicago won Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals at the Wells Fargo Center, as Patrick Kane scored in overtime to deliver the franchises first championship since 1961. The Blackhawks added their second title in four seasons last spring when it beat Boston in six games for the Cup. The Flyers are 2-1-0 against Chicago since that postseason encounter nearly four years ago, but the Blackhawks slammed Philly by a 7-2 score when the teams met in the Windy City on Dec. 11. Former Flyer Patrick Sharp had a goal and two assists to lead the way in the rout. The Blackhawks halted a two-game slide in their last trip to the ice, recording a 4-1 home win over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday. Marian Hossa scored a goal and assisted on two others in his return to Chicagos lineup. Hossa missed five consecutive games with an upper-body injury he suffered against Pittsburgh at Soldier Field on March 1. The Blackhawks went 2-3-0 in his absence. "(Hossa) changes the look and complexion of our team game. He made a big difference tonight," said Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville. Ben Smith had a goal and one assist for Chicago. Duncan Keith collected two assists, giving him 300 for his career, and Corey Crawford earned the win with 19 saves. Chicago is currently third in the Central Division and one point behind the Colorado Avalanche, who play Tuesday evening in Montreal. The Blackhawks are 18-9-7 as the visiting team this season. Following tonights tilt in Philly, the club will play its next four games on home ice. Chicago will not have forward Brandon Saad for Tuesdays game, as he did not make the trip to Philadelphia due to an upper-body injury suffered on Sunday. Saad, who has 19 goals and 44 points this season, will miss his first game of the 2013-14 campaign. ' ' '