In early April Qadree Ollison Jersey , Chris Herrmann was a free-agent catcher sitting on his couch at home wondering if he was going to play baseball again.


Herrmann hit his first home run for Seattle, and Marco Gonzales pitched six solid innings to lead the Mariners to a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night.

Gonzales (9-5) gave up five hits while striking out seven in a 102-pitching outing. The lone run he gave up was Kole Calhoun’s sacrifice fly in the fourth inning to tie the game at 1.

Considering how rough a first inning the left-hander had, Gonzales gladly took the outcome.

”It was a constant chess game,” Gonzales said.

He had no control over his sinker. His changeup wasn’t getting over the plate. And he was working with a catcher in Herrmann – called up from the minors in late-May – with whom he had no familiarity.

But after regular catcher Mike Zunino was placed on the 10-day disabled list Thursday with a bruised left foot, it was up to Herrmann and Gonzales to figure things out.

”In that first inning, (Gonzales) did not have it. He really didn’t,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. ”I’ve been around a long time, and you see pitchers with six-to-seven years’ experience in this league that panic. They don’t have it, and they throw in the towel.

”It says a lot about his maturity and where he’s at.”

Gonzales escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first by getting Albert Pujols to ground into a double play.

”Give Gonzales some credit,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. ”He made some pitches and got out of it.”

In the fifth, Guillermo Heredia’s line drive went over Justin Upton’s head in left field for an RBI double gave Seattle the lead back at 2-1.

In the seventh inning, Herrmann’s solo blast off reliever Miguel Almonte carried deep into the right-field bleachers. Not a bad ending for a guy who did not find out he was in the starting lineup until five hours before first pitch.

”I know a lot of pitchers here have a lot of confidence behind Mike behind the plate, and I hope I can gain that confidence from these guys as well,” said Herrmann, who was signed by the Mariners to a minor league deal in early April after being designated for assignment by Arizona at the end of spring training. ”I am trying to do my part and fill in while he is gone.”

Dee Gordon tripled into the right-field corner with two outs, and Jean Segura greeted reliever Cam Bedrosian with a high-chopping RBI single to third baseman David Fletcher to extend Seattle’s lead to 4-1.

Gordon also saved a run in the eighth with his highlight-reel diving catch of Ian Kinsler’s line drive behind second base.

”It was just instincts. I just jumped as far as I could,” Gordon said.

Edwin Diaz struck out the side in the ninth to lock up his major league-leading 34th save.

The Mariners have not lost a home series since May 6, when they dropped two of three games to the Angels. They are 6-0-3 during that span.

Angels starter Jaime Barria (5-5) gave up two runs in 5 1/3 innings.

HERNANDEZ BACK `BETTER’

Seattle right-hander Felix Hernandez insists he feels much better before his scheduled start Friday against Colorado than he did nearly a week ago.

Hernandez tweaked his back during a workout in Baltimore. It tightened on him before his start Saturday against Kansas City – one in which he surrendered three earned runs before recording an out in a 6-4 victory. With the help of heat and ice packs Rashan Gary Jersey , and more stretching, Hernandez’s back has felt better this week. He even threw an abbreviated bullpen session.

”I am better today, more loose,” Hernandez said. ”I will be fine.”

BIRTHDAY BOY

What did Japanese star Shohei Ohtani get on the day of his 24th birthday Thursday in Seattle? He got a seat on the bench against Gonzales, a left-hander. With Albert Pujols serving as the designated hitter, Jefry Marte got the start at first base after being activated from the 10-day disabled list earlier in the day.

Ohtani struck out in the ninth inning as a pinch hitter against Diaz.

ROSTER RESHUFFLING

Angels: To make room for Marte, the Angels sent outfielder Jabari Blash to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Mariners: Left-handed pitcher Ariel Miranda, who started 29 games last season, was granted his unconditional release from Triple-A Tacoma to pursue playing opportunities in Japan.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Angels: Outfielder Chris Young (left hamstring) had an MRI test on his hamstring Thursday. Results weren’t revealed, but he is still expected to be out past the All-Star Break. … Right-hander Nick Tropeano (right shoulder) will pitch Saturday as part of a rehab assignment. He will be limited to 60 pitches, Scioscia said. … Right-hander Jim Johnson (back) threw a bullpen session and is approaching a rehab assignment as well.

Mariners: Zunino (left ankle) was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a bruised left foot. He rolled his ankle late in Seattle’s 7-4 loss Wednesday running the basepaths and was walking around in a boot in the clubhouse Thursday. David Freitas was recalled from Tacoma to serve as the backup catcher behind Herrmann. … Outfielder Mitch Haniger was scratched from the starting lineup because of a bruised right knee. Heredia took his place.

UP NEXT

Rockies: Right-hander German Marquez (6-8, 5.14 ERA) faces off against one of his famous Venezuelan countrymen in Hernandez. He has never faced the Mariners, but is 2-0 in CINCINNATI (AP) — With the exception of a fourth-round quarterback, the Bengals‘ first draft under coach Zac Taylor was more about upgrading their infrastructure.And there was a distinct emphasis on Taylor’s favorite side of the ball.The Bengals got two offensive linemen, a run-blocking tight end, a defensive tackle and a linebacker among their first six picks in the draft, with quarterback Ryan Finley filling out their top selections. Taylor came to the Bengals as the Rams’ quarterback coach, and they leaned heavily toward improving the run game in his first draft.Cincinnati finished 26th on offense last season and 21st in yards rushing. Joe Mixon led the AFC in rushing with 1 Hakeem Butler Jersey ,168 yards, but the running game was inconsistent overall. The Bengals took a pair of running backs in the sixth round to fill out the group.“That’s the starting point for us,” Taylor said. “We’re going to put a very strong focus on the run game and it all plays off that. If you can’t get your run game going, the rest of the offense struggles.”For their most intriguing pick, the Bengals moved up and took Finley early in the fourth round Saturday, then immediately emphasized that Andy Dalton is still the starter.Still, it was a noteworthy move. The Bengals hadn’t taken a quarterback so high in the draft since they choose Dalton in the second round in 2011.Finley will be a backup for now, at least. Dalton has two years left on his contract and has fully recovered from a thumb injury that sidelined him the last five games last season.“I do want to make something very clear before we start: Andy Dalton is our starting quarterback,” offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said. “That has not changed. That will not change. We think very highly of Andy and what he’s going to do in our offense.“We do think competition is good. It’ll be good for our position. It’ll be good for the backup job for sure.”Some highlights of Cincinnati’s draft:WHO THEY GOTLT Jonah Williams (first round, Alabama), TE Drew Sample (second round, Washington), LB Germaine Pratt (third round, N.C. State), QB Ryan Finley (fourth round, N.C. State), DT Renell Wren (fourth round, Arizona State) Chris Lindstrom Jersey , C Michael Jordan (fourth round, Ohio State), RB Trayveon Williams (sixth round, Texas A&M), LB Deshaun Davis (sixth round, Auburn), RB Rodney Anderson (sixth round, Oklahoma), CB Jordan Brown (seventh round, South Dakota State).SURPRISE MOVEMoving down 10 spots in the second round and taking Sample — a tight end known as a tenacious blocker — with so many needs on a defense that gave up the most yards and third-most points in the league last season. Taylor said the Bengals highly valued Sample’s blocking ability and thought he’d be gone if they waited to draft him later. The Bengals already had tight ends Tyler Eifert and C.J. Uzomah.“Drew fits what we do,” Taylor said. “When he’s there and you really like him, you’ve got to go get him.”HOW THEY DIDThe offensive line has been a longstanding problem, and they improved it with the addition of Williams and Jordan, who can play guard. Linebacker was their biggest problem area on a historically bad defense last season, and Cincinnati released Vontaze Burfict in the offseason. The Bengals are depending upon Pratt to play a big role right away.WHAT’S NEXTTaylor’s staff has to figure out how to configure the offensive line with the new additions. Williams played left tackle at Alabama, so they could consider moving left tackle Cordy Glenn to another spot. They also have to get Pratt ready. The versatile linebacker could play either inside or outside, and first-year coordinator Lou Anarumo needs to decide where he’ll be most comfortable at the outset.