Seattle Mariners at Tampa Bay Rays

The Mariners needed a day like Sunday. They snapped their five-game losing streak by getting the timely hits they had been looking for all week long in an 8-2 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field. They received a fantastic effort from their bullpen. They earned a reason to feel optimistic ahead of the cross-country flight that will take them into the All-Star break. Even on a good day, however, the Mariners still had a cause for concern. Right-handed starter Emerson Hancock left the game in the bottom of the second inning, one frame after he took a sharp comebacker off of his pitching hand. Although Hancock stayed in after deflecting Yandy Díaz’s 107.2 mph grounder, he said the bruise on his right middle finger kept getting worse during the Mariners’ three-run top of the second. As the digit continued to swell, Hancock was lifted with two outs in the second after an in-game visit from manager Dan Wilson and head athletic trainer Kyle Torgerson. As a clearly disappointed Hancock made his way to Seattle’s dugout, he continued to look at his right hand. However, it appears the worst-case scenario was avoided, as X-rays came back negative. He’ll use the All-Star break to recover, and he and Wilson believe this won’t be a long-term issue. “I just kind of kept grabbing at it, and at that point, probably just best for the team \[to exit\