Mariners offense almost completely silent in second straight loss to Astros
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA – The Seattle Mariners fell to the Houston Astros for the second straight game, dropping the first series after the All-Star break. The Mariners offense remained quiet, with the only run coming via a Carlos Santana solo homer in the bottom of the seventh inning. Issues such as the team's woes with the bases loaded continued, against a great Houston team that had future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander on the mound. Despite the loss, the Mariners remain in the second wild card spot in the American League.
Second baseman Adam Frazier extended his hitting streak to nine games (Photo Liv Lyons)
Gilbert keeps Seattle in it
Seattle starter Logan Gilbert, in the midst of a great sophomore year, gave up two runs in the top of the fourth inning, but otherwise did what he could to minimize Houston’s offense. Gilbert retired the first four Astros batters via strikeout, notching 18 swing and misses on the day. In a pitching duel with legendary Justin Verlander, Gilbert held his own while keeping his ballclub in the game. It’s a shame that the outing would go to waste due to lack of run support, but it is positive to see Gilbert hold his ground across from one of the best pitchers in history.
Logan Gilbert had another solid pitching outing (Photo Liv Lyons)
Carlos Santana, the power hitter
In the designated hitter spot for this game, Carlos Santana has been a valuable asset to the Seattle Mariners since being acquired via trade. Despite not necessarily being a “power hitter” in recent years, the 36-year-old has five of his nine homers with the Mariners this season, having only been in Seattle since June 27th.
Getting offense from a bat like Santana’s, while having the value that he brings as a veteran and somebody that has been heavily appreciated in the clubhouse is crucial to the future success of this ballclub. Not only has Santana been recognized for bringing the clubhouse closer together, he’s provided solid plate appearances for the Mariners with a patient eye, and sometimes, home run hitting ability. Having a combination of him and Kyle Lewis at designated hitter should prove fruitful for Seattle, injuries permitting.
Carlos Santana’s homer was the Mariners only run (Photo Liv Lyons)
Quiet bats disappoint 40K at T-Mobile Park for second game straight
For the second straight day, over 40,000 people showed up to T-Mobile Park to watch their Seattle Mariners. Excitement from the 14-game win streak, All-Star game, and home run derby may be fading (especially with the short-term injury to Julio Rodriguez), but the crowd at the ballpark was ready to explode at a moment's notice. Unfortunately, outside of Santana’s solo home run, the Mariners never gave the fans in attendance anything to blow the roof off of the place for, and once again the fans had to go home disappointed.
Astros starter Justin Verlander is a future Hall of Famer (Photo Liv Lyons)
Quick notes
Julio Rodriguez did take batting practice prior to this game, but was not available off of the bench because the team trainers do not believe he is “100%”
Justin Verlander in 2022 and Billy Wagner in 2010 are the only pitchers to hit 99+ mph at age 39 or older in the pitch-tracking era
The city of Seattle had a little under 80,000 people in the Sodo area today, as the Sounders crowd drew 32,000 and the Mariners crowd, 43,000.
The series finale takes place tomorrow at 1:10PM PST between the two ballclubs. The Mariners will look to avoid being swept, hoping to salvage something from this Houston series that has proven frustrating more than anything else. Seattle will get a good chance at that salvage win as Robbie Ray takes the mound. While it is tough to lose these games fresh off of a long win streak and the momentum from Julio Rodriguez, it is still only July. Salvaging a win at the end of the series is still valuable.