Mariners fall short in frustrating 3-2 loss to Astros

The Mariners waste a strong outing from Bryan Woo and a golden opportunity to beat the Astros and clinch the series with a game to spare.

It truly feels like the Mariners have turned a corner, with an impressive six victories in seven against strong opposition. For one game at least however, they returned to the bad narrative which has hindered their attempts to win more consistently for a large chunk of this season.

More specifically, the bats went cold and failed to take advantage of excellent starting pitching. The result was a tough 3-2 loss to the Astros, which arguably the Mariners should have won.

After winning the first two games of the series at Minute Maid Park, Seattle entered Saturday’s contest with confidence. However, they got off to a disastrous start.

Bryan Woo allowed three hits and an earned run in the bottom of the first. With Dylan Moore giving up a second run through a throwing error, the Mariners seemed to be on the ropes, staring at a 2-0 disadvantage after just one inning.

In retrospect though, any early concern about Woo could almost be construed as a lack of faith. After a terrible Major League debut where he allowed seven hits and six earned runs in two innings, he had recorded a 2.36 ERA and 0.938 WHIP in his following five starts.

Woo responds well

Along these lines, the 23-year-old did not allow another hit or run, as he totaled six innings and recorded a no-decision. He gave up just one walk and struck out four, needing just 78 pitches to get through his outing.

Woo talked about the thinking behind his choice of pitches postgame. He said:

“The cutter was just feeling better than the slider was today. I was able to throw it more for strikes, so (it) just kind of is what it is. Some days you’re not going to have some pitches. … (Today) was just one of those days.”

Mariners manager Scott Servais was impressed by Woo’s outing. He said:

“I thought Bryan was fantastic. They put a couple of hits together in the first inning, but he did an awesome job after that.”

Woo was slightly irritated by not being allowed to stay in the game longer, but accepts Seattle want to keep an eye on his usage at this early stage of his career. He said:

“Day like today, where the pitch count wasn’t too high but (you) got into the sixth, it’s frustrating as a competitor, but at the same time, you see where they’re coming from. … You respect their decision, and then you just do the best you can with it and continue to get better throughout the year.”

Mariners fight back

The reason Woo didn’t get tagged with the loss on the day, was the Mariners’ ability to get back into the game after the early 2-0 deficit. J.P. Crawford hit an RBI single in the third and Jose Caballero repeated the trick an inning later, to tie the contest at 2-2.

After this however, the Mariners struggled to put any hits together. This would come back to bite them in what would be the defining eighth inning.

Seattle found themselves in position to take control, loading the bases with no outs via a hit-by-pitch and two walks. However, a lineup which only managed five total hits on the day, failed to even score one run.

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Missed opportunity haunts Mariners

This inexcusable failure became even more pronounced in the bottom of the inning. Martin Maldonado hit a solo blast off reliever Andres Munoz, for what would prove to be the winning run.

Servais expressed disappointment about the missed opportunity to win the game and the series. He said:

“We had them against the ropes and couldn’t deliver the knockout punch. On the road you’ve got to score and not just, like, get one in that inning. In my mind, I’m hoping we get two or three when you get the bases loaded. Then you look up and (Hector Neris) wiggled his way out of it.”

Servais couldn’t help thinking back to previous failures in Houston. He said:

“Unfortunately it’s happened to us a few times here recently, when you’re right there on the cusp of taking control of the game, and we don’t.”

With the loss, the Mariners yet again fall to .500 on the season, this time at 44-44. The also sit 4.0 games out of the final wild card spot in the AL.

While it won’t be easy, Seattle still has the opportunity to win a series in Houston for the first time since 2018. Logan Gilbert will take the mound, hoping to carry on the momentum from his first career complete game in his previous start.

What’s your prediction for Sunday’s game? Will the Mariners win and take the series, or enter the All-Star break below .500? Let us know in the comments section below.