Mariners’ suffer offensive nightmare, lose series opener

The Mariners lost the first of four to the Texas Rangers in an absolute embarrassment. The offense garnered just 3 hits and could not muster a single run.

What makes the loss even worse was the fact that Texas only scored 2 runs, and the game would have been winnable if our bats were present.

Marco Gonzales took the mound for the last time in his 2018 season and threw one of his strongest starts of the year. He went 5 full innings and allowed just 2 hits – a broken bat blooper that remained in the infield and a shift-beater single by Rougned Odor.

Despite the start, Marco received zero run support and was unable to earn a win. In fact, Seattle had just one hit in the first five innings. 

The bullpen couldn’t hold off the Rangers offense, as Zach Duke was responsible for both of Texas’ runs in the 7th inning. Ronald Guzman hit an RBI-single that gave Texas a 1-0 lead. Rangers rookie Isiah Kiner-Falefa was pegged in the head by reliever Shawn Armstrong, which plated a run.

Duke’s loss was a depressing reminder of the disastrous trade deadline Seattle endured in late July. Our center-field issue was never solved, and our relievers were less than stellar once traded to Seattle (except for Tuivailala, who suffered a season-ending injury).

Seattle falls to 86-73 with the loss, though the Mariners were already eliminated from playoff contention last week. A win in one of their last three games will match their best record since 2014 when the Mariners were 87-75 and missed the postseason by one game.

If there is anything to take away from the 2-0 loss, it is that Marco Gonzales finished his season on a high note. What saddens me, however, is that we could very easily be seeing fan favorites like Nelson Cruz and Denard Span in a Mariner uniform for the last time over the weekend.

What happens in the last three games for Seattle really doesn’t matter, but the large question that remains is whether the front office will hit the reset button on the franchise. It is very possible, but I must admit: contending for the postseason is a much more entertaining roller coaster ride for an impatient fan like myself.

The Mariners will send Wade Leblanc to the mound Friday in hopes of earning their 87th win of the year. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10PT.