J.A. Happ helped the Mariners get a win against Houston. (Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports)
SEATTLE — During a year when Hisashi Iwakuma — considered the Robin to Felix Hernandez’s Batman — has struggled to find his fastball command, veteran left-hander J.A. Happ has emerged as a solid No. 2 starter for the Seattle Mariners.
The former Toronto Blue Jay turned in another impressive performance Wednesday night, and this time he was actually rewarded with a win, his first as a Mariner. Happ allowed two earned runs over 7 1/3 innings while his season ERA dropped to 2.61.
His early success has been a surprise to most, especially when considering his 2014 season with Toronto (11-11 with a 4.22 ERA) and a rough spring that left many Seattle fans wondering why he’d been given a spot in the rotation.
The only disappointment through Happ’s first three starts of the regular season comes with the lack of run support he’s received. He threw seven solid innings of five-hit, two-run ball over the weekend, only to lose 3-1 to Texas. His first start as a Mariner on April 11 saw Happ throw six innings of shutout baseball before Oakland got to him in the seventh to take a 3-1 lead in a game the Mariners eventually won 5-4 in extra innings.
The acquisition of Happ in exchange for injury-plagued outfielder Michael Saunders in the winter was made to give Seattle pitching depth and a possible back-of-the-rotation starter. But manager Lloyd McClendon said after Wednesday’s performance that he trusted Happ to be a valuable part of the rotation.
“He’s a veteran starter that gives us quality innings,” McClendon said.
What has made Happ’s start to the season most valuable is that he’s been able to eat up innings. That’s something fellow starters Iwakuma, James Paxton and Taijuan Walker have struggled to do — and the overtaxed Seattle bullpen is already showing signs of fatigue.
Happ was anything but dominant Wednesday night, but he was still on the mound in the eighth inning. That, as much as the W that finally came after his name, was another great sign for the Mariners’ pitching staff.
“We’re a mess,” McClendon said of the Mariners’ bullpen. “It’s cleaned up with this (performance).”
