Andrew Albers is making up for lost time.
After going 1,463 days between big league victories, he now has two wins in less than a week.
“I try not to count that high,” Albers quipped after working into the sixth inning to lead the Seattle Mariners past the Atlanta Braves 6-5 on Monday night. “I knew it had been a while.”
The 31-year-old left-hander from North Battleford, Sask., sounded more excited about the first hit and RBI of his career – in his first big league at-bat, a bouncer off the pitching hand of Atlanta’s Mike Foltynewicz that wound up being an infield hit.
After admiring the ball in his locker, Albers (2-0) quickly pointed out he also has two sacrifice bunts, leaving him with a career average of 1.000.
“I better sit on that one as long as I can,” he said. “It’s only gonna go down from there.”
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Albers beat his former organization, having spent most of the season at the Braves’ Triple-A club. He went 12-3 but never got a call to the big leagues.
Instead, Albers was dealt to the Mariners for cash on Aug. 11. He was called up by Seattle to make a start four days later, working six strong innings in a 3-1 win over Baltimore.
This time, he surrendered six hits and three earned runs in five-plus innings, helping to bolster Seattle’s injury riddled rotation.
“He’s been huge for us,” catcher Mike Zunino said. “We’ve used a ton of guys this year.”
Zunino was part of a disputed play at the plate that help preserve the win for the Mariners, who came into the night just 1 1/2 games out of an AL wild-card spot.
With the Braves trailing 6-2 in the sixth, a catcher’s interference call sparked a three-run rally. Ozzie Albies hit a two-run triple over the head of centre fielder Leonys Martin and scored on Dansby Swanson’s sacrifice fly. Pinch hitter Lane Adams reached on an infield single, stole second and raced for home when an infield dribbler was bobbled by second baseman Robinson Cano.
Cano retrieved the ball and threw home to get Adams. The Braves challenged the call, and it looked as though Adams may have got a toe on the plate a split-second before he was tagged. But the replays, from several different angles, weren’t definitive enough to overturn the call.
“That was a great job by Robby not to give up on the play,” Zunino said. “That little bobble and recovery may have saved us the game.”
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Edwin Diaz pitched the ninth for his 28th save. He surrendered a leadoff single to Ender Inciarte, but the Atlanta runner was thrown out attempting to steal second with slugger Freddie Freeman at the plate.
Freeman grounded out to end the game.
Foltynewicz (10-9) had another rough outing for the Braves. He gave up nine hits and all six Seattle runs in 5 2/3 innings, losing for the fourth time in his last five starts.
Kurt Suzuki hit his 14th homer leading off the bottom half of the second, yet another blow for Atlanta’s surprisingly effective catching duo.
He has combined with Tyler Flowers for 25 homers and 81 RBIs.