SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners failures and lackluster performance on Monday night were described as “brutal” by manager Scott Servais.
The defeat they endured on Tuesday felt somewhat expected based on the lineup they rolled out due to injuries.
So when they wasted yet another strong starting performance, provided the most minimal of run support possible and blew a late lead while getting swept by the Los Angeles Angels in a three-game series on Wednesday afternoon, the 2-1 loss seemed inevitable.
Even the boos that rained down upon the Mariners from fans disgusted about wasting an afternoon of sunshine and mid 70s temperatures to watch this growing debacle lacked the anger and displeasure of games past.
They were upset the Mariners lost, but they weren’t necessarily surprised by it.
Seattle has started the second “half” of the season with a 1-5 record.
Luis Castillo delivered another quality start for the Mariners. He tossed six scoreless innings, allowing five hits with two walks and seven strikeouts.
His teammates rewarded him with one run of support — a solo homer from Mitch Haniger.
That wasn’t enough.
In the eighth inning, the Mariners lost the lead and a leverage reliever.
Gregory Santos, who had missed most of the season, injured himself shortly after giving up the game-tying single to Willie Calhoun. His replacement, Trent Thornton, allowed the go-ahead run to score on a RBI single.
“No real production in this series at all offensively,” Servais said. “(Haniger) big homer today, some other guys hit some balls hard, but not much to write home about. We’re in a situation where we’re not catching any breaks and we’re not creating a lot of opportunities there.”
