14-game win streak comes to an end as Mariners fall to Astros
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA – The Seattle Mariners saw their second longest winning streak in franchise end on July 22nd to the Houston Astros in game one of a three game set. The AL West leading Astros came to town, facing a pumped up and sold-out T-Mobile Park with expectations high. The hype was in place for the Mariners to tie the longest win streak in club history, set by the 2001 team that won 116 games. Seattle’s offensive inconsistency and a poor night from starter Marco Gonzales doomed them.
Starter Marco Gonzales allowed three solo homers (Photo Liv Lyons)
Gonzales gives up the long ball
Starting pitcher Marco Gonzales has been a bit of a wildcard at times. Gonzales is near the top of the Seattle rotation when it comes to most quality starts on the season, but there are times where his control is just not there, resulting in a hole being dug for the Mariners during his starts. While Gonzales was doing alright through the first four innings, having only allowed two solo homers, the fifth inning spelled doom as Houston added two more runs. The Astros had taken a four-run lead, and the Seattle offense was as present as Julio Rodriguez, who had been scratched prior to first pitch due to left wrist soreness.
Marco has had a good year overall, but there are outings such as this that put the team in a bad spot. At the end of the day, you can live with a solo homer or two, but it also does not help when you get no run support. Gonzales should be fine, but you would like to see a bounce back considering that he has given up five earned runs in his past two starts.
Young phenom Julio Rodriguez was a late scratch with “left wrist soreness” (Photo Liv Lyons)
Offensive inconsistency makes a return
Seattle’s failure to have consistent offense and to be stable as a run scoring club has doomed them in a solid amount of their losses. Of the teams 43 losses on the season, 24 of them have come within three runs, manageable territory. One of the major issues with the Seattle offense this 2022 campaign has been leaving runners on base, especially in scoring position. The story would continue in this loss.
The Mariners left nine runners on base, and went a HORRID 0-9 with runners in scoring position. The key instance for this would be in the bottom of the eighth inning, down by three runs, when Seattle had the bases loaded and one out. The Mariners would fail to do anything after Eugenio Suarez drew a bases loaded walk, and Seattle’s hits to bases loaded chances ratio on the season would go to 17-85. For a team that wants to snap a two-decade long playoff drought, that needs to be addressed and handled quickly. It already should have been dealt with.
Ty France hit a solo homer to get Seattle on the board (Photo Liv Lyons)
Win streak reflection
While the win streak ends in less than spectacular fashion, it should be celebrated. Multiple lineups, finding several ways to win games, and topping the Toronto Blue Jays in the process all provided several challenges. We got some feedback where several folks thought that this was effectively the end of the season for Seattle, and any thinking in any similar light to that is ridiculous. My father always told me; don’t get too high, don’t get too low. Even keel.
With several months left in the season, and several series against teams that are not in playoff contention. With a “healthy” lineup (that can obviously take turns with the longevity of the season), the Mariners should be able to continue a solid pace and continue to win series.
Much like Dylan Moore’s bat here, the Mariners win streak was broken. (Photo Liv Lyons)
Quick notes
During the teams 14-game winning streak, the Mariners posted a run differential of +36.
Seattle has the best record in all of baseball since June 21st, at 22-4.
The Mariners are 21-12 in one-run games this season, tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for the most in baseball.
Eugenio Suarez has reached base safely in 22 of his last 23 games.
Injury updates: Outfielder Kyle Lewis was back in the lineup for the first game in an extended period of time, starting in right field. Outfielder Mitch Haniger spent a rehab assignment with the Everett Aquasox during the Mariners game, going 1-2 with an RBI and being hit by a pitch.
The Mariners unveiled the 2023 All-Star game logo (as the game is being hosted in Seattle), and you can watch the unveiling video on the Circling Seattle Sports Twitter (@circlingsports), Instagram (@CirclingSeattleSports) or Facebook (Circling Seattle Sports)
Despite the loss, a potential series win is still in play. Game two of the series is tomorrow with a first pitch time of 1:10PM PST, as two high quality pitchers will be on the mound. Logan Gilbert will take the mound for Seattle, and he fill face off against Houston starter Justin Verlander. A great pitching matchup, but one that the Mariners will need to overcome in order to have any hope in winning this series. Another packed crowd will be there, nearing full house.