After the Mariners’ exhilarating sweep of the Mets last weekend, capped by a 12-1 blowout on Sunday Night Baseball, fans were on a high. But this week’s road trip has been nothing short of a nightmare—like a hangover that just won’t quit. The series against Detroit was tough to swallow, and last night’s Apple TV matchup wasn’t much better. With a breakfast game on the horizon and Luis Castillo coming off a dominant performance, today seemed like a golden opportunity to turn things around. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
Trouble started right from the first inning. Víctor Robles led off with a base hit and stole second, but after a Julio grounder to short and a baserunning blunder, the inning ended with no runs. Mariners starter Bailey Falter dodged a bullet as the Pirates escaped unharmed.
In the bottom of the inning, Isiah Kiner-Falefa welcomed Castillo with a solo home run on a sinker that didn’t sink, putting the Mariners behind from the get-go. Castillo kept the damage minimal over the next few innings, with only a nine-pitch walk to Bryan De La Cruz standing out, but even that slim one-run deficit felt almost insurmountable for Seattle.
But there was a glimmer of hope. After Dylan Moore struck out in the second inning—on his way to a golden sombrero—Mitch Haniger found a way through with a single. A couple of well-placed hits from Leo Rivas and Robles later, and the game was tied at one. Mariners fans dared to believe.
However, that hope was short-lived. Castillo’s control started to waver in the fourth, as Cruz worked a tough nine-pitch walk. While Castillo struck out Joey Bart, Rowdy Tellez delivered a crushing blow with a two-run homer, deepening the Mariners’ deficit.
The Mariners did manage to cut the lead with Jorge Polanco’s double in the fifth, scoring Julio Rodríguez from first base, but that was all the offense they could muster. Castillo left the game in the sixth inning after allowing a leadoff double to Bart and a single to De La Cruz. The bullpen trio of JT Chargois, Tayler Saucedo, and Trent Thornton couldn’t stop the Pirates, who added three more runs in the seventh, highlighted by a solo homer from Jared Triolo and back-to-back doubles by Bart and Tellez.
The ninth inning offered one last flicker of excitement. Domingo Germán entered the game and promptly loaded the bases with a walk and two hit batters. But the hope was fleeting, as Pirates closer David Bednar came in to shut the door, retiring Robles on a flyout before striking out Randy Arozarena and Julio to seal the Mariners’ 7-2 loss. Arozarena had a particularly rough day, striking out four times and losing his grip on his bat during his final swing—a fitting end to a frustrating game.
The Mariners will try to avoid a sweep tomorrow in another early game. George Kirby is set to start against a yet-to-be-named Pirates pitcher, with old friend Marco Gonzales sidelined due to injury. The Mariners’ slump is hard to shake, but maybe tomorrow they can find a cure.
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