Given the way Mariners right-hander Taijuan Walker and Indians starter Danny Salazar were dealing on Wednesday, one misstep was likely going to be the difference. Salazar wound up on the wrong side of the equation and Seattle claimed a 2-1 victory at Progressive Field.
For the third straight outing, Walker spun a quality start for the Mariners, limiting the Indians to one unearned run on three hits in six innings. The righty struck out six, walked none and did enough to make Salazar’s lone hiccup hold up as the decisive blow.
“That was outstanding pitching from both sides tonight,” said Mariners manager Scott Servais. “We certainly had our hands full with Salazar. I tip my hat to Taijuan Walker. What a great outing. He really stepped up in a game where we had no room for error.”
With his performance, Walker lowered his season ERA to 1.50 and picked up his first win of the season. Salazar finished the day with an equally impressive 1.47 ERA, but he walked away with a hard-luck loss. His only setback came in the second inning, when Norichika Aoki delivered a two-out, two-run triple.
Salazar ended with seven strikeouts and three walks issued in his seven innings — an outing that might have been enough on any other night. This time around, though, Cleveland’s only production off Walker came via a sacrifice fly from Jason Kipnis in the third.
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