Mariners collapse late to lose 7-6 to Reds in heart-breaker

The Mariners continuing to slump, as they lose their second straight in Cincinnati and fall to 1-4 on their critical 10-game road trip.

The Mariners’ pitching has been the backbone of the team for most of the season. This is reflected in having the second-best ERA in the Majors and tied for the best WHIP, as of Wednesday morning.

However, the reality is that the pitching — whether it be the starters or relievers — has faltered of late. They have allowed 26 combined runs in their previous four games.

The latest such occurrence took place on Tuesday night, as the Mariners’ bullpen collapsed in dramatic fashion. The result was a heart-breaking 7-6 loss to the Reds, which also meant they have now lost two consecutive series for the first time since the end of June.

It had all started off so well at Great American Ball Park. The Mariners took an early lead courtesy of Teoscar Hernández’s two-run bomb in the top of the first. (The blast also extended Hernández’s hitting streak to 14 games.)

Miller does what it takes

The Reds replied in the bottom of the third with a RBI double, to make it 2-1. However, that was all they could manage against Mariners’ starter Bryce Miller.

In truth Miller had a challenging outing, as evidenced by allowing seven hits and a walk, while also hitting three batters. He only managed six swinging strikes on 97 pitches, on the way to just two strikeouts.

Ultimately though, the 25-year-old did what was required to limit the scoring. He also finished his outing in style, by overcoming a bases-loaded situation in the fifth inning.

Miller’s outing was notable for passing his previous career-high for innings in a season. When asked about pitching at this stage of the season, he said:

“I feel good. My body feels good. I think I was able to really reach back and get a couple of 97s at the end of (my outing), when my pitch count was up. … I just have to be able to finish batters. This week, I’m going to dial in and really get back in on the slider and hopefully have that going into Tampa.”

J-Rod continues to roll

When Miller left the game after the fifth, everything looked promising with a 5-1 lead. This was thanks to a three-homer by Julio Rodríguez, in the top half of the inning.

The tide started to turn in the sixth, as the Reds scored two solo home runs off Dominic Leone to make it 5-3. The early returns just haven’t been impressive since the reliever returned to Seattle, with him unable to complete the inning.

Everything still seemed okay though, especially after Rodríguez hit his second home run of the night in the top of the seventh. With a 6-3 advantage entering the eighth, it was now up to the Mariners’ usually reliable bullpen to secure the win.

Mariners bullpen collapses

Unfortunately for the Mariners, the home side had other ideas. Following a walk and a single, pinch-hitter Nick Martini tied the game at 6-6 with a three-run bomb.

It would be so easy to criticize Justin Topa, who in the process recorded his second blown save of the season. However, he’s been excellent all year, as evidenced by the three earned runs matching his total allowed during his previous 33 appearances.

To his credit, Topa didn’t attempt to make any excuses when speaking to the media postgame. He said:

“You don’t want to be out there with guys on base, especially when you get ahead there early and then kind of let things go on for a little bit. My slider felt alright in the bullpen, (but) then I kind of just sprayed it a little bit there.”

The Mariners were stunned and unable to respond in the top of the ninth. This set the stage for Elly De La Cruz’s heroics in the bottom half of the inning.

First the rookie hit a lead-off single, followed by stealing second base. Christian Encarnación-Strand proceeded to hit a single off Andrés Muñoz, which brought De La Cruz home for the winning run.

Servais was full of praise for the Reds, but also under no illusion as to what went wrong. He said:

“They’re a very athletic team with lots of speed up and down the lineup. We had our high-leverage guys going. They didn’t execute.”

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The road ahead

With the 7-6 loss, the Mariners fall to 1-4 on this road trip and down to second in the AL West. They hold the second AL wild card spot but it’s too close to call, especially with a suddenly surging Blue Jays ballclub and the Rangers lurking just behind.

Of course this is the Mariners, so their quest for a playoff spot was never going to be straightforward anyway. As Servais said:

“If anybody thought this was going to be easy, they’re crazy. It’s tough to win games this time of year. You (have to) grind. Everybody’s got to be ready to go and do their job every night.”

Miller is similarly aware of the challenges to come. He said:

“Over the past few months, it’s felt like we’ve played better against good teams and kind of played down to bad teams. There’s going to be a lot of close games over the next month. We’ve just got to fight to come out on top and trust our stuff. … It’s just the start of September and we’ve got a long way to go yet.”

The Mariners will attempt to stop the bleeding, with their losing streak now at three games. Logan Gilbert will take the mound for Wednesday’s series finale in Cincinnati.

At 77-61, the Mariners have exactly the same record as they did at this stage last season. How confident are you in them at least matching last year’s 13-11 record to finish the regular season? In addition, will 90 wins be enough to secure a playoff spot this year? Let us know in the comments section below.