The worst case scenario has happened. The Seattle Mariners ended a nine-game road trip with an 8-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday. It was the second time the Mariners have lost in their last three series. They finished 1-8 on the road trip.
The loss dropped Seattle’s season record to 64-64 and left it five games behind the Houston Astros at the top of the American League West. The Mariners were one game behind the Astros before the road trip.
“Tough trip. It wasn’t a good trip for us for a number of reasons,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said in a postgame interview on Wednesday. “Especially in the race for the playoffs, you don’t want to just go out and basically lay an egg on a road trip. And that’s what happened. … Got a day off (Thursday). Will talk to the team here. We really need to get away from it for a day. Our guys are working hard and trying to turn things around. Sometimes you just have to slow down and get away. Come to our house Friday night. It’ll be good to be back home and hopefully we can get going again.”
Seattle, as it has in many of its recent road games, struck first. Dominic Canzone brought Randy Arozarena home with an RBI sacrifice fly in the second inning.
Mookie Betts gave Los Angeles the lead with a two-run double in the bottom of the third inning. Will Smith extended the Dodgers’ lead to 3-1 with an RBI sac fly of his own in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Los Angeles won the game in the fifth inning. Freddie Freeman had an RBI single, former Mariner Teoscar Hernandez had an RBI single and Max Muncy cleared the bases with a three-run double.
Clear the bases, Max! pic.twitter.com/jTUDIypy4i
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) 22 August 2024
At the end of the fifth inning, the Dodgers led 8-1. Those were the last runs of the game for Los Angeles, but that was all the team needed. The Dodgers struggled with Seattle starter Logan Gilbert. The Mariners star played just 4.2 innings and allowed eight runs (six earned) on seven hits. Gilbert threw 100 pitches.
Seattle had a few more opportunities to cut into Los Angeles’ lead with a third of the game left. The Mariners left the bases loaded in the sixth inning after scoring another run when Dylan Moore was walked with the bases loaded. Arozarena scored in the eighth inning after a force out (Seattle ended up leaving two on base and one in scoring position).
Mitch Haniger scored Seattle’s fourth and final run of the game with a solo home run to center field in the ninth inning. The Mariners were shut out in order after Haniger’s home run, leaving nine runners on base and going 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
Seattle has 34 games left this season. That’s it. The possibility of the Mariners missing the postseason is getting closer and closer to reality. There are no reins and no way around it. If Seattle doesn’t start winning, the season is over. And another year that started so promising will be flushed down the toilet.
The Mariners are playing for their season. It’s time to show it.
Seattle is back home on Friday at 7:10 p.m. PT for the first of three games against the San Francisco Giants. Luis Castlilo will start.
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