Plenty has gone right for the Seattle Mariners over the past two months, as they rallied from a double-digit division deficit to move into first place in the American League West.
On Tuesday, their luck ran out.
The short-handed Mariners lost 3-1 to the cellar-dwelling Oakland Athletics to drop into a three-way tie for first place with the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros.
The A’s and Mariners will wrap up their three-game series on Wednesday afternoon in Seattle.
Mariners All-Stars George Kirby (flu-like symptoms) and Julio Rodriguez (left foot soreness) were scratched from the starting lineup on Tuesday. Seattle first baseman Ty France left in the third inning due to a left wrist contusion after getting hit on an errant pickoff attempt by Luke Weaver, and shortstop J.P. Crawford stayed in the game after sliding awkwardly into second base in the third.
“Stuff happens,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “We play so many games. We’ve been on such a hot streak where everything kind of has gone our way, so it’s gonna be a little bump in the road, a little adversity.”
Servais said Rodriguez and France are both considered day-to-day. The Mariners plan to see how Kirby is feeling Wednesday morning, though it’s likely rookie right-hander Bryce Miller, who has dominated the A’s twice this season, will make his scheduled start in the afternoon game.
Seth Brown and Shea Langeliers homered for the A’s on Tuesday, and six Oakland pitchers combined on a four-hitter.
“We’re definitely in the seat of spoiler, and we want to ruin as many dreams as possible,” said A’s closer Trevor May, who struck out the side in the ninth while escaping a jam.
Brown homered for the first time since Aug. 13, while Langeliers went deep for the fifth time in his past eight games.
“We all know Shea has the ability to drive the ball out of the ballpark, and it was a long stretch for him trying to figure out and make adjustments,” Oakland manager Mark Kotsay said. “I think his swing looks great right now.”
Kotsay was equally pleased with his relievers, who combined for five scoreless innings.
“The bullpen came in and did an unbelievable job,” Kotsay said. “That’s a game this year that we’ve seen — our offense scoring early and not adding on, and us not being able to hold the lead. And so tonight was a great sign of the progress we’ve made.”
A’s right-hander Zach Neal (1-0, 6.88 ERA) is scheduled to start on Wednesday against Miller (8-4, 3.90).
Neal made his first start since 2016 on Friday in Chicago, and he beat the White Sox 12-4. He allowed four runs, two earned, on five hits over five innings. Neal is 0-2 with a 7.04 ERA in four career appearances (two starts) against the Mariners, though he hasn’t faced them since 2017.
Miller didn’t get a decision against the visiting Kansas City Royals on Friday after allowing three runs on six hits in four innings.
Miller made his major league debut on May 2 at Oakland, and he yielded one run on two hits in six innings, with no walks and 10 strikeouts in a no-decision during a 2-1 Seattle win. He defeated the A’s 6-1 on May 24 in Seattle when he pitched six scoreless innings and allowed two hits with one walk and six strikeouts.
—Field Level Media
