Mariners notes: Hernandez hot, M’s back on track with series win over Cards

Before many of the 30,000 announced spectators could settle, the crack of Lars Nootbaar’s bat resembled the pregame fireworks heard only minutes before.

On the first pitch of Sunday’s series finale at T-Mobile Park, St. Louis’ center fielder homered some 403 feet on a line drive to the right field seats, a stunning entrance by a Cardinals team on the verge of being swept.

It turned into a slugfest, but the Cardinal faithful – a sea of red ball caps and jerseys surrounding the visiting dugout – were finally rewarded. St. Louis out-mashed its Seattle counterparts and took Sunday’s finale, 7-3, to avoid a three-game sweep.

Those in red began their cheers, at first resembling boos – but their sounds were instead the first syllable of Nootbaar’s last name, as an elongated ‘Noot’ rained from the road crowd in droves.

“Hopefully,” Mariners starter Chris Flexen began, “this is rock bottom.”

The Mariners answered – and took a short-lived, 3-2 lead in the second inning – but were later fooled by Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty, whose six-pitch arsenal generated 23 total whiffs Sunday.

Seattle’s Jarred Kelenic homered and Ty France drove in a pair, but 13 hits and seven runs for the Cardinals were enough.

Still, Seattle had taken two of three games from St. Louis for a series win with victories over the interleague foes Friday, 5-2, and Saturday, 5-4. It came on the heels of being swept by Milwaukee earlier in the week, an inspiring turnaround that Servais hopes translates to a successful upcoming road trip.

Right fielder Toescar Hernandez led an offensive charge in Seattle’s opening pair of meetings with the Cardinals, mashing game-tying home runs in both eventual victories. Entering Sunday’s series finale, the two-time Silver Slugger was 20-for-65 (.308) with nine runs, five home runs, and a team-high 13 RBI in his last 16 games.

The 30-year-old was just 1-for-17 (.053) in the season’s opening five games. But Hernandez is “starting to see it,” Servais declared, now offering All-Star production and meeting expectations after Seattle acquired him from Toronto last Nov. 18.

“We had a pretty slow start,” Hernandez admitted Friday. “Things weren’t going the way we wanted… but that’s baseball. We have to figure out the things we need to do, and keep going.”

Seattle caps their nine-game homestand at 5-4. The Mariners swept Colorado in three games, were swept by Milwaukee in three, and took two of three from St. Louis.

Now begins a three-series, nine-game road trip to three cities and two countries: Philadelphia (April 25-27), Toronto (April 28-30), and Oakland (May 2-4). Seattle returns home to face defending-champion Houston on May 5, the night of the team’s Nike City Connect uniform debut.

“I think we’re in a really good spot,” Kelenic said. “We’re starting to swing a bit better. Our pitching is still doing a great job. ... What did (St. Louis) have, 13 or 14 hits today? You’ll see that from us when we’re all clicking.”

INJURY REPORT

Dylan Moore continues to feel the “lingering effects” of an oblique strain suffered in spring training, which has derailed the super-utility-man’s chances of a prompt return, Servais told reporters Friday.

Moore appeared in one rehab game for High-A Everett on April 18 and finished 1-for-2 with a walk. He ripped a ground ball through the left infield for a third-inning single, later stealing second base and scoring a run in Everett’s 10-6 win over High-A Vancouver.

He “isn’t feeling 100 percent,” so Moore will travel to Philadelphia for an MRI and “go from there.”

“Any time (a player’s return) gets pushed back, you’re concerned,” Servais said.

Relief pitcher Andres Munoz (right deltoid strain) threw a bullpen session Thursday and “feels really good,” Servais told reporters before Friday’s series opener with the Cardinals.

The plan is to get the flamethrowing 24-year-old on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma before rejoining the major league club and off the injured list. Munoz will meet the Rainiers and throw another session in Vegas and later commence a rehab assignment there, barring any setbacks.

In a best-case scenario, Munoz could appear in Oakland on May 2, the last leg of Seattle’s upcoming three-series road trip.

On Saturday, Seattle reinstated infielder Sam Haggerty from concussion protocol and optioned catcher Cooper Hummel to Triple-A Tacoma to make room on the active roster.

SHORT HOPS

— A new reward sits in the home dugout, awaiting Mariners after home run trots — the chance to bestow the team’s ‘Home Run Trident.’

First was Julio Rodriguez on Wednesday, standing in Seattle’s home dugout with the newest, shiny piece of Mariner bling after a two-run homer off Milwaukee’s Eric Lauer.

Then was Teoscar Hernandez a game later, this time wearing a bedazzled ‘Swelmet’ after his game-tying home run against St. Louis on Friday night. The Darth Vader-themed helmet features both blue and gold, an homage to Seattle’s throwback uniforms from the 80s.

“I think everybody on the team wants to (hold) it,” Hernandez said Friday night. “It feels great.”

Assembled Wednesday, the gargantuan, gold trident stands some seven feet tall, its three tips well above Hernandez as he posed bling-in-hand for the first time.

“It’s heavy. It is,” Hernandez said. “It’s metal, so it’s really dangerous, too.

“We’re not gonna look for homers. We’re gonna look for good contact.”

Kelenic was third to hoist the trident, on Saturday. More celebrations are inevitable.

“That trident,” Servais began. “I was afraid (Teoscar) would throw it at somebody. Thank God he (didn’t).”

– Thanks to a Friday-night stolen base that sparked a sixth-inning rally, Julio Rodriguez became the second-fastest player in major league history to collect 30 career homers and 30 career bags (152 career games). He trails only Angels center fielder Mike Trout, who did so in 146 career games in 2012.

Rodriguez was the fastest ever to reach 25 career home runs and 25 career stolen bases, doing so in 125 games last season. Trout ranks second by that criteria (128 games).

J-Rod effortlessly took second base on the watch of Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras, typically an arm that pressures baserunners into staying put. Yet he had no chance after Rodriguez’s massive lead and jump. The center fielder went on to score the game-deciding run, part of a three-run sixth-inning in the series opener.

– Third baseman Eugenio Suarez has reached base safely in 19 straight games, tying a career-high.