Mariners: 7-game win streak ended in 3-2 loss to White Sox

Another strong outing from Marco Gonzales is not enough for a weary Mariners team, as the bats struggle in 3-2 loss to the White Sox.

If there is any game where you wouldn’t want to criticize the Mariners, it’s Monday afternoon’s match-up with the White Sox. Just consider the preceeding events.

On Sunday, the Mariners endured a four and a half hour weather delay in Cleveland, as well as extra innings. Eight hours 20 minutes and 10 pitchers later, they managed to secure a 6-3 win.

However, even then Seattle’s work wasn’t done, as they didn’t get back to the West coast until around 3:00 a.m. local time. Throw in Monday’s first pitch time of 3:40 p.m. and this was one tired ball club.

Despite all this, the Mariners displayed their usual grit and mental fortitude, to battle the White Sox all the way to the end. Unfortunately for the home side they came up agonizingly short, in a 3-2 loss which ended their seven-game winning streak.

Tired bats

There is no denying the Mariners’ lineup struggled, albeit with the earlier-mentioned circumstances playing a part. There were contrasting performances for their two All-Stars, as Julio Rodriguez had two hits compared to none by Ty France in four at-bats.

It didn’t help that Seattle came up against a red hot Lance Lynn, who had a season-high 11 strikeouts. In all, he went seven innings and only allowed three hits, a walk and one earned run.

When it was all said and done, the Mariners had just six hits on the day. And yet they still had a chance to come back in the bottom of the ninth.

With two runners on base but also two outs, J.P. Crawford came up with a clutch hit. Mitch Haniger scored to make it 3-2, while Crawford advanced to second base.

The key aspect of the sequence however, involved Sam Haggerty, who was pinch-running for Eugenio Suarez. On the hit by Crawford, Haggerty advanced from first to third, but was then given the stop sign.

The frustrating thing about not getting the green light, is that the throw to home plate took the catcher about 10 feet up the first base line. Of course everything is easier to critique in hindsight and it still would have been close, but it’s a case of what might have been.

Adam Frazier would subsequently be struck out and the White Sox held on for a tense 3-2 victory on Labor Day. The Mariners’ seven-game win streak was over in the toughest of circumstances.

Renowned for being objective but fair about his team, Mariners manager Scott Servais gave his take on the Haggerty play. He said:

“We put Haggerty in – and ‘Hags’ is probably our fastest base runner — for that exact purpose, if there is a chance to score him there. But it is a really tough call. It’s a soft single right in front of the right fielder, who has a good arm. You’re putting all those things into play and it’s happening super fast. So I don’t fault anybody there at all.”

Marco impresses again

The loss took the shine off another strong performance from Marco Gonzales. Following a tough slump, he has now had four consecutive productive starts.

On Monday afternoon specifically, the best thing about Gonzales’ outing was that he went seven innings. One day after using nine relievers over eight innings, this was invaluable.

The southpaw allowed only four hits and one walk on the day. He essentially made just two mistakes but they were costly and provided all the runs Chicago would need.

The first mistake came in the top of the second, when Gonzales gave up a first-pitch solo blast. The second mistake came an inning later, when a two-run homer increased the White Sox’ lead to 3-1.

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The second home run was agonizing for fans, as Haniger had a chance to make the catch at the wall. However, he briefly lost sight of the ball in the sun and it bounced off his glove and went over the fence.

In many respects, the Haniger play represented just how close the game was. Seattle should be extremely proud of the effort they put in under such trying circumstances.

Gonzales wasn’t surprised by the effort, despite the long night which proceeded the game. He said:

“It’s not hard to see. I mean, guys got in at 3 a.m. last night and came out, the energy was still the same today. I didn’t really notice a difference in our guys, which says a lot about the character here to go out and just fight against a good team like that. It says a lot about who we are.”

Mariners in a favorable position

Gonzales is right of course. However, it will be interesting to see if there will still be any lingering effects between now and Thursday, when Seattle gets a much-needed off day.

Combined with other results around the league, the Mariners dropped down to the second AL wild card spot. It’s as tight as ever between them, the Rays and the Blue Jays.

If nothing else, at least there is a gap starting to appear between the three wild card spots and the chasing pack. The Orioles are closest, but they are five losses behind the Mariners following Monday night.

Of course, it’s a case of some focusing on yourselves. It’s in Seattle’s hands what they do, rather than having to rely on other teams.

Next up, the Mariners will aim to get back into their series versus the White Sox on Tuesday night. Seattle will send Logan Gilbert to the mound, while Chicago counters with Johnny Cueto.

Any concern about the events on Sunday and subsequent late return to Seattle still impacting the Mariners during the remainder of the White Sox series? Let us know in the comments section below.