Seattle Mariners stay asleep, lose to Dodgers in series sweep
The best part about this three game series against the Dodgers is that it is over.
Some days you just want to stay in bed. You don’t want to wake up, you don’t want to shower even though you know how good it always feels, how much it will help you face your day. You don’t want to face the day. Like a hangover, but more of an emotional hangover. When you feel this way and you have to wake up and do things anyways, let me tell you, you are not at your best. I can only imagine this was one possible reason the Mariners so half-heartedly dropped today’s game 1-6 against the Dodgers, and in doing so were swept for the three game series. Maybe they just didn’t want to get out of bed today. Maybe they are just at the point of the season where they are just that tired.
The Los Angeles Dodgers were not tired today, and had no trouble getting out of bed despite hopes to the contrary. They celebrated a division clinching win on Seattle’s home field yesterday and the subsequent partying was hoped to beleaguer at least some of the lineup with next day after effects. Many of the Dodger’s best was out of the starting lineup today including Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, so maybe they were feeling the effects. Or maybe the Dodgers just knew it wouldn’t matter. They already clinched a series and division win yesterday, after all.
I would have liked to stay in bed today, to sleep away the day and not have to face a bevy of responsibilities. Then I could have avoided telling you the bad news that is today’s game, could have remained blissfully unaware it happened at all. Then I wouldn’t have to tell you about the day Logan Gilbert had.
It started out well enough, until it didn’t, when he struck out leadoff batter Chris Taylor on a called strike to start the game. He quickly jumped ahead 0-2 on second batter Jason Heyward, but was unable to finish the job, and on the 3-2 sixth pitch Heyward was able to finish things and sent a splitter at the bottom of the zone over the right field wall. It was the only runs he would allow in the first, but it would take him twenty-one pitches to get through it. Things only were worse in the second inning. Amed Rosario was first to reach base with a one out triple, and Kolten Wong promptly singled to left to score him. Austin Barnes was up next and on the first pitch hit a two run home run two give the Dodgers an early 4-0 lead.
LoGi did recover somewhat through the rest of his innings, missing more bats, but still finding them enough to give up another run in the fourth. And what a familiar list of names it was, perhaps the baseball gods writing the script didn’t want to get out of bed as well. Amed Rosario hit a double, Kolten Wong moved him over to third on a ground out, and a few batters later Jason Heyward hit a liner into right field scoring Rosario and giving the Dodgers the 5-1 lead. Gilbert ended his night with a final line of 5.0 IP, five earned runs on seven hits, two of them home runs, six strikeouts and one walk.
The Mariners only run came in the second inning, and they threatened enough to at one point have the bases loaded with only one out. Jarred Kelenic started the inning with a pop out, but then Eugenio Suárez reached first by working a walk, Mike Ford hit a liner up the middle for a single, and Ty France lined to left to load them up. Josh Rojas made the situation more dire with an entirely uncompetitive swinging strikeout, not his only one of the day, and the Mariners had them loaded with two outs instead. J.P. Crawford continues to be one of the lone lights in the dark and was able to work an RBI single, scoring one. Julio Rodríguez hit an easy comebacker to Ryan Yarbrough and the inning was over, and so was the closest the Mariners came to doing real damage today.
Three Mariners players had multi-hit days today in J.P. Crawford (2-for-4, one walk), Mike Ford (2-for-3, one walk), and Ty France (2-for-4). The entire rest of the lineup went hitless except Cal Raleigh, who was 1-for-3 with a walk. On a day the Dodgers opted for an opener and relying on bullpen arms, Shelby Miller, Ryan Yarborough, and Gavin Stone mostly just strolled through the Seattle lineup, striking them out a combined thirteen times and only allowing seven hits all game. When the Mariners did have runners in scoring position, they were 2-for-10.
Out of the bullpen for the Mariners, Eduard Bazardo continues to be an interesting midseason pickup by Seattle and was one of the lone bright spots of today’s game. He came in to start the sixth inning and take over for Logan Gilbert, and was able to hold the Dodgers scoreless over two innings. He did allow two hits, a parachute to the outfield from Rosario in the sixth and a Heyward double in the seventh, but otherwise played a successful contact manager and got out of his innings without allowing runs. Dominic Leone was able to rack up a couple of strikeouts in his two innings of work, Kolten Wong and J.D. Martinez and both swinging, but he also started his night giving up a 3-2 home run to James Outman.
It is unenviable to have to play nearly one hundred and fifty games, lose two against the Dodgers, and have to wake up and play and likely lose a third against them. Maybe that’s why the Mariners looked asleep through today’s game, maybe they were smarter than all of us and found a way to stay in bed, and were just sleep walking through today’s game. Tomorrow they begin a road trip and a series of games against division-opponents-only until the season ends. First up is the peskier-than-their-record Oakland A’s, then on to face the Rangers and the Astros (and the Rangers again) in what just might be a fight for the division. Every game matters and today’s loss works against them, but the real test is this next stretch, and now the Mariners have no choice but to wake up.