Mariners come up short in series loss to Mets

The Mariners fall into an early hole as George Kirby struggles in his return, resulting in a 6-3 loss in the rubber match versus the Mets.

The Mariners had already received a warning during the Athletics series, that there was still plenty to do to ensure a second consecutive playoff season. Regardless, they left New York on Sunday with a series loss versus a Mets ballclub struggling in the standings.

Now is not the time for the Mariners to start losing their way, not after doing so well to put themselves in such a strong position. The 6-3 loss to the Mets was their biggest margin of defeat in more than six weeks.

The series defeat was also just the Mariners’ second in their past 14. At least those close to them have also been losing, meaning they still lead the AL West as they prepare for their next series.

Illness still lingering for Kirby?

There was plenty of blame to go around on Sunday afternoon. However, it all begins with starting pitcher George Kirby.

Kirby missed his previous start due to illness, and you have to wonder if he still isn’t entirely recovered. Certainly something wasn’t right on Sunday, as he picked a bad time for his shortest outing of the season and tied for the second-shortest of his two-year Major League career.

The 25-year-old was off his game essentially from the first pitch. Mets’ three-time All-Star Pete Alonso took advantage, to give the home side an early 1-0 advantage in the opening inning.

The Mets increased their advantage to 2-0 in the second, before Alonso doubled the lead an inning later. His two-run blast in the third made it 4-0, to put the Mariners in a hole from which they would not recover.

As a result of the early 4-0 deficit, Mariners manager Scott Servais decided to remove Kirby from the game. Certainly six hits and four runs — three earned — on 73 pitches through just three innings was justification for this decision.

For his part, the 2023 All-Star admitted he had no answer for the Mets on the day. Speaking postgame, he said:

“They swing a lot. I have that problem sometimes living in the zone a lot; some guys just swing aggressively. So I’ve got to do a better job just getting under the zone and getting them to chase, but they’re a good team.”

(It should be noted Kirby has now allowed four or more runs in five or his past nine starts. While no one doubts his ability, there is a concern to keep an eye on as we move forward.)

Mets good or Mariners bad?

Good team is debatable, for a Mets side which entered the series with a 61-73 record and sitting fourth in the NL East. In fairness though, they deserve as much credit as the Mariners do criticism, for what transpired during the weekend series.

Servais appreciates his team still has a lot of work ahead of them, no matter how favorable their current position. He said:

“Even the teams that are below .500 are teams that play us very tough. There are no easy ones there at all. That’s the way it is in September, when you have a chance to get into the playoffs.”

Despite falling behind early, we know this Mariners team never quits. As such, their rally in the fourth inning was no surprise.

Dominic Canzone and Mike Ford hit back-to-back home runs, to pull the visitors to within 4-3 and give themselves renewed hope. This was as close as they would get however, on a day where they were limited to six hits and struck out 12 times.

Perhaps best encapsulating the offensive struggles on the day, Julio Rodríguez saw his hitting streak ended at 15 games. It also didn’t help that the Mariners were without Ty France, who missed the game after being hit by a pitch for a Major League-high 29th time the previous night.

Dominic Leone made his first appearance since his return to Seattle after being claimed on waivers. However, he only lasted 1.1 innings after giving up a solo homer to make it 5-3 Mets in the fifth.

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Just one of those games

Alonso then completed the damage in the sixth with his second home run of the day, to make the final scoreline of 6-3. Speaking about the outcome, Servais said:

“It’s the big leagues; guys make plays and they made a few more than we did today.”

As you’d expect from Servais, he was even-keeled in his analysis of the series loss. He said:

“You do lose a series once in a while. They played very well, and they handled our pitching. Normally our pitching kind of gets it going and can take over the course of the series, but in this series we didn’t do it.”

It’s a tough road ahead, as the Mariners still have series in Cincinnati and Tampa Bay to contend with before returning home. In this respect, both the Reds and Rays are right in the thick of the playoff hunt.

No one ever said it was going to be easy. Regardless, the Mariners need to refocus their efforts, or risk ruining all the hard work they’ve put into climbing to the top of their division and the AL’s second seed.

Is the Mets series loss a sign of what’s to come for the Mariners? Or just a blip on the path to a second straight playoff qualification? Let us know in the comments section below.