The Mariners spent most of Friday night looking flat, and by the time the final out landed, a 6-2 loss to the Athletics had wrapped up a losing series at T-Mobile Park.
George Kirby was the one Seattle starter who kept the game from unraveling sooner. He worked 6.2 innings, the deepest outing by a Mariners starter since Kirby himself went 7.2 innings against the Phillies on August 25th.
He finished with 100 pitches, struck out Henry Bolte to open the game, and escaped the first inning on just 10 pitches despite a pitch clock violation tied to PitchCom issues against Jeff McNeil. Kirby also handled a nine-pitch battle with Lawrence Butler in the second before Max Muncy ambushed a 1-2 four-seamer for a solo homer to the back end of the Mariners bullpen.
The A’s kept adding on from there. In the third, Alika Williams reached on a swinging bunt, moved up on a forceout by Denzel Clarke, and scored on Bolte’s double down the right-field line.
Kirby picked off Bolte to end that threat, but the fourth inning brought more damage. Zack Gelof singled, stole second, and later scored on another Muncy hit, this one a ground ball up the middle off a hanging sweeper.
Muncy then moved to second on a passed ball by Cal Raleigh and came home on a Donovan Walton double to the right-field corner.
Kirby settled in after that, allowing only two more baserunners before leaving. One was a two-out walk to Jonah Heim in the sixth, and the other was an infield hit by Williams in the seventh.
Afterward, Kirby said, “Still, just left some in the middle with runners in scoring position. That’s not really what we needed tonight.”
Seattle’s offense never found a rhythm against Jeffrey Springs. J.P.
Crawford and Randy Arozarena drew walks in the first three innings, and Cal Raleigh broke up any no-hit talk with a two-out single in the fourth. That was the Mariners’ only hit until the seventh, when Raleigh led off with another single before Josh Naylor bounced into a double play that was initially bobbled by Walton at second.
Dan Wilson didn’t have much to say when asked about the team’s energy. “I was watching the ball.
I didn’t see what happened. But obviously these guys know what it means to play hard, and that’s what needs to happen.”
The Mariners finally scratched across a run in the eighth. Cole Young was hit by a pitch, and Randy Arozarena and Dominic Canzone followed with consecutive two-out hits to bring him home. Julio Rodríguez then grounded out on a ball that came off his bat at 104.5 MPH with an expected batting average of .540.
They got a little more life in the ninth. Raleigh led off with a double to right, raising his season wRC+ to 97.
Wilson said afterward, “From what he’s gone through this year and the work he’s put in, you feel good about what you’re seeing from Cal and hopefully it continues all the way through to the end.” J.P.
Crawford then singled through the left side, a wild pitch scored Raleigh, and Young drew a walk to put the tying run on deck. But Weston Wilson grounded out to end it.
Michael Rucker got the final out of the seventh, then gave up the last two runs in the eighth on a Lawrence Butler home run. Carlos Vargas handled a scoreless ninth.
Bryan Woo will start Saturday afternoon as the Mariners try to avoid a four-game home sweep, something that hasn’t happened since the ill-fated Deadgar Weekend in August 2017.
In Other News...
Mariners Suddenly Have A Lazaro Montes Concern They Cant Ignore
A routine outfield collision turned into a Mariners health check Monday when rookie Lazaro Montes ran into the right field wall and came away with left hip soreness. He initially stayed in the game, but the discomfort was enough to send him out later for evaluation, a reminder of how quickly a small in-game scare can become something worth watching closely on a young player the club is trying to keep on the field.
The early read offered at least some relief, with X-rays coming back negative, but that does not fully settle the matter for Seattle. The Mariners are now left to monitor Montes and see whether the soreness fades or lingers, and for a team already keeping close tabs on its depth and development, even a clean scan is only the first step in figuring out what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Face An Urgent Clubhouse Question As Season Slips Away
As the Mariners try to steady a season that keeps slipping farther out of reach, Buster Olney used the "Refuse to Lose Territory" podcast to raise a clubhouse issue that goes well beyond lineup cards and bullpen usage. The ESPN MLB insider focused on accountability inside the organization, noting the way modern managers usually avoid publicly calling out players because they do not want to crack team cohesion, and pointing to Ketel Marte and the Arizona Diamondbacks as an example of that wider reality.
For Seattle, the sharper question is who inside the room is willing and able to do that work from within. Olney framed it as a leadership problem as much as a performance one, asking which Mariners players have the voice and standing to hold teammates to a higher standard while the losses keep piling up. It is the kind of concern that can linger in a clubhouse long after the immediate slump fades, and for a team still searching for traction, it only adds to the pressure on everyone involved. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Bullpen Takes Another Hit As New Reliever Gets His Chance
The Mariners relief corps took another blow when Matt Brash was shut down for the rest of the season because of continued inflammation in his right lat, closing the book on his 2027 campaign. Seattle also had to navigate Hoby Milners placement on the family medical emergency list, which opened the door for a fresh arm and forced the club to keep piecing together its bullpen depth in real time.
Into that spot steps Taylor, a right-hander the Mariners recalled as they try to absorb the latest loss without letting the late innings slip further away. His track record has been uneven in the minors and in the majors, with some recent struggles mixed in with enough promise to keep him in the conversation as a bullpen option, and now Seattle will get another look at whether he can handle a larger role. [Read more 🡒]