By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA – The Seattle Mariners fell to the Houston Astros by the narrow score of 2-1 in the final game of the series. Seattle had a golden opportunity in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded, but once again could not capitalize. Seattle’s record drops to 20-28, but they did at least win the series.
Inability to capitalize with RISP continues
The Seattle Mariners are a team that resembles the tale of Jekyll and Hyde. There are moments when the Mariners bats come alive and they look like the team we saw blazing towards a playoff spot late last season. Then, there are the moments (which we have seen far more of so far this season) where the Mariners have runs on the tips of their fingers, and they can’t get a grip. There were two specific instances where Seattle had the tying and even winning runs aboard, and the bats went ice cold.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Mariners had JP Crawford on third and Eugenio Suarez on second. Mike Ford and Luis Torrens would come to the plate, and both would strike out. Failure to even put the ball in play is extremely disappointing, but not as much as the second golden opportunity that slipped out of Seattle’s hand. In the bottom of the ninth, the Mariners had the bases loaded with one out. Luis Torrens would come to the plate, and ground into a double play, ending the game.
Marco Gonzales was solid in his start (Photo Mat Bermudez)
Gonzales’ decent start wasted by no run support
Seattle starter Marco Gonzales had a fine outing if you look at it on the surface. His start looks worse considering the loss, but it certainly does not help that he did not receive much of any run support. Gonzales would go seven innings, allowing five hits, and two earned runs. He only walked one, but also only struck out two. In today’s MLB, only allowing two runs should keep your team in a ballgame. When your offense can only produce one run, it’s hard to be upset with what Gonzales did on the mound.
Following the loss, the Mariners now go on the road for a nine-game road trip. They begin that road trip with a three-game stretch against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday, May 31st. First pitch is at 4:05PM PST, as young starter George Kirby takes the mound for Seattle.
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