Seattle Mariners Blow Lead And Series With Loss Against Los Angeles Angels
It might be bad luck or simply a bad matchup but the Los Angeles Angels seemed to have the Seattle Mariners' number all season.
Los Angeles beat Seattle 3-2 on Sunday. It was the third consecutive series loss for the Mariners against the Angels. Los Angeles won 8-of-13 games this year to take the overall season series.
The loss dropped Seattle to 69-68 and moved them six games behind the Houston Astros for first place in the American League West. Houston swept the Kansas City Royals in four games to take its biggest lead of the year so far in the division.
"Tough series here in Anaheim," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said in a postgame interview Sunday. "Came in here (after) winning a couple series. And you're always in for some tough ballgames here. Two one-run games after the first game of the series. So some tough baseball. Thought the guys battled all the way through today. Tough one to lose this afternoon."
Taylor Ward put the Angels up 1-0 with a solo home run to center field in the bottom of the first.
Luke Raley got the run back and tied the game 1-1 in the top of the second with a solo home run of his own — a 437-foot shot to right field.
4️⃣3️⃣7️⃣-foot blast for Luuuuuke! #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/rKDfIxf5i9
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) September 1, 2024
The Mariners took the lead one inning later after Josh Rojas scored on an RBI sacrifice fly from Victor Robles.
Got the lead 👏 pic.twitter.com/E69WhLO8TD
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) September 1, 2024
Then, similar to Saturday, Los Angeles was able to make a comeback.
Anthony Rendon had the go-ahead hit in the bottom of the fifth with a two-RBI single to put the Angels up by the eventual final of 3-2.
Also similar to Saturday — Seattle had plenty of opportunities to go back up but failed to take advantage. It left six runners on base on Sunday and went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.
The Mariners left a total of 18 runners on base on Saturday and Sunday and went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position. They lost both games by one run.
A division crown is all but out of the question for Seattle at this point. There's 25 games left in the season. First place is still mathematically possible for the Mariners. But it would take a massive collapse from Houston — a team that just swept a four-game series against a legitimate American League contender in the Kansas City Royals.
In an ironic twist of fate — the third Wild Card spot is now more likely than the AL West crown. But even that is still a tough climb. Seattle is 5.5 games out of that spot with the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox and Royals all in front of it. Detroit and Boston both own the tiebreaker.
The Mariners needed at least a series win or a sweep against the Angels to still have a realistic chance to make it to October.
Now — luck needs to be on Seattle's side. And if there's anything to know about the history of sports in the Pacific Northwest — luck isn't really something that's been in abundance.
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