PITTSBURGH – The Seattle Mariners’ losing streak extended to four games after a 5-3 defeat against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night, raising concerns about the team’s recent performance. Reports suggest that Mariners Head Coach Scott Servais may have been relieved of his duties due to the team’s struggles.
The Pirates, who had lost their previous 10 games, managed to turn things around with a strong performance from their starting pitcher, Paul Skenes. Skenes (7-2) struck out six batters and allowed just two runs over six innings, snapping his own four-game winless streak. The 22-year-old right-hander earned his first win since July 11, when he was the National League starter in the All-Star Game.
Despite his personal success, Skenes was more focused on ending the Pirates’ losing streak. “It feels good to get the win, but it definitely doesn’t feel good that we had the streak in the first place,” Skenes said. “It’s nice to do it at home and put it behind us.”
Pirates manager Derek Shelton praised Skenes for his resilience, even though the young pitcher wasn’t at his best. “He wasn’t fully in sync with his delivery, but he still gave us a solid start and put us in a position to win,” Shelton said.
David Bednar secured his 21st save, despite a shaky ninth inning. The Mariners’ Jorge Polanco hit a solo home run to bring the score to 5-3, and Luke Raley followed with a single, but Bednar recovered by striking out the next three batters. Bednar, who had struggled in recent appearances with two losses and two blown saves, managed to close out the game.
Mariners’ starter Logan Gilbert (7-9) was tagged with the loss after giving up four runs, three earned, over 6 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked two but failed to record a quality start for only the seventh time in 26 appearances this season.
Seattle’s offense couldn’t overcome the Pirates’ strong pitching, even after being swept in their previous series by the Detroit Tigers. The Mariners are now three games behind first-place Houston in the American League West and 3 ½ games out of the third wild-card spot.
“We had good at-bats against Skenes,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “We wanted to be aggressive, and we stuck to our plan, but he’s a really good pitcher. We played a better game after the rough series in Detroit, but we just didn’t get the result we wanted.”
Yasmani Grandal’s solo home run in the fifth inning helped the Pirates take the lead for good. Michael A. Taylor followed with a single, then advanced to third on a throwing error before scoring on Andrew McCutchen’s sacrifice fly. Oneil Cruz added to the Pirates’ lead with a two-run double.
“We finally got the big hits we’ve been missing,” Shelton said. “Oneil’s two-out double was crucial, especially after the last 10 days.”
Unfortunately for the Pirates, both McCutchen and Cruz were injured while running the bases in the seventh inning and had to leave the game.
For the Mariners, Luke Raley’s two-run homer in the fourth inning gave them an early lead, but they were unable to hold on. The Pirates cut the deficit with a run-scoring double by Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the fourth inning.
Injury Updates:
- Mariners: CF Julio Rodriguez returned to the lineup as the designated hitter after missing Thursday’s game with a sore right ankle, going 2 for 4.
- Pirates: RHP Colin Holderman, out since August 8 with a sprained right wrist, had a 25-pitch bullpen session before the game.
Up Next:
- Mariners RHP Luis Castillo (10-11, 3.40 ERA) will face Pirates LHP Bailey Falter (5-7, 4.07 ERA) on Saturday. Castillo has pitched at least six innings in his last seven starts, posting a 4-2 record with a 2.27 ERA over that span.
More Mariners News:
- Seattle Mariners were swept by the Detroit Tigers as Javier Báez’s homer in the 8th inning led to a 2-1 loss.
- Akil Baddoo’s double in the 10th inning gave the Tigers a 3-2 win over the Mariners.
- Outfielder Victor Robles could earn up to $22.25 million from 2025-27 in a new deal with the Mariners.
- George Kirby gave up a career-high 11 runs as the Tigers crushed the Mariners 15-1.
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