Mariners' Streak Undone by Gutting Start, Lethargic Offense in 5-2 Loss to Astros
T-MOBILE PARK — As fans packed the stands and excitement began to build Friday night, things quickly took a turn for the worse.
Star outfielder Julio Rodríguez was suddenly removed from the Mariners' lineup—initially without reason—just moments after catching the ceremonial first pitch from franchise legend Mike Cameron and receiving a standing ovation from a sellout crowd. Astros second baseman José Altuve then quickly followed that up with a leadoff home run off of starter Marco Gonzales.
Catcher Martín Maldonado and designated hitter Yordan Álvarez added solo shots later on, and the Mariners eventually found themselves down 4-0 in the fifth inning.
Just a timely hit or two away from pulling closer, Seattle reverted back to its pre-win streak ways and went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position. The bats registered eight hard-hit balls on the night, but very few found open grass.
Following an RBI single by Astros outfielder Jake Meyers, Mariners manager Scott Servais called upon his bullpen. Penn Murfee took over and stranded Meyers at second, but it was now 5-0.
The Astros, who beat the American League-leading Yankees twice in a doubleheader Thursday, never looked back. Mariners first baseman Ty France blasted a solo home run in the sixth, but the deficit was too large to overcome.
Gonzales was relatively unimpressive over his 5.2 innings of work, giving up nine hits and five earned runs.
The Mariners tried to rally in the bottom of the eighth by loading the bases against reliever Phil Maton, who was replaced by Ryne Stanek. Eugenio Suárez walked in a run, but any hopes of a comeback were expelled in short order.
Kyle Lewis, who started his first game since May 28 in right field, nearly roped what likely would have been a two-run single into the left-center field gap, but Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña made a remarkable leaping grab to rob the 2020 AL Rookie of the Year winner. Shortly thereafter, catcher Cal Raleigh struck out to end the frame.
The rally was dead and so were the Mariners, who saw their 14-game win streak come to a bitter end with a 5-2 loss. Certainly not the way Servais and company hoped to kick off the second half of their season, especially in front of 45,290 fans.
"Dang," reliever Paul Sewald said during pregame. "People show up when you win 14 in a row."
The high attendance should continue throughout the weekend, but the Mariners will need to show up against All-Star pitchers Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez.
"The team in the other dugout is obviously really good and we just gotta figure out a way to beat them on a consistent basis," Servais stated after the game.
The Mariners' skipper later added that the decision to scratch Rodríguez was made roughly 40 minutes before first pitch, and the 21-year old sensation is day-to-day with a sore left wrist. An update on his availability for Saturday's rematch, which is slated for a 1:10 p.m. first pitch, should come in the late morning.
