Mariners bring back memories of 2024 in 7-0 loss to Athletics

The Seattle Mariners don’t build on the good vibes from opening day, as they allow the Athletics to tie their four-game series at 1-1.

The Seattle Mariners understandably entered Friday night in good spirits, fuelled by a 4-2 win the previous evening to open the season. It also helped that the were facing an Athletics team which they were 24-6 against at home in their previous 30 games.

Unfortunately for everyone concerned though, none of this mattered in the end, as the Mariners ultimately lost 7-0 and allowed the Athletics to tie their four-game series at 1-1. In the process, the lineup brought back panic-inducing memories of the tepid offense which was on display for the majority of last year.

Yes, it’s still ridiculously early in the 2025 season and yes, the offense had a splendid turnaround in form once Dan Wilson came in as manager and got Edgar Martínez involved. However, it’s up to the Mariners lineup to give fans a good reason to believe they will be better overall than last year, with the proof being in the pudding.

It was tough going against Jeffrey Springs, who was making his Athletics debut and third start versus the Mariners, with 6.0 excellent innings helping him notch the W. The home team managed just five hits for the second successive night, while also only managing to produce three walks after drawing seven the previous evening.

Shades of last year’s biggest issue for the Mariners

Arguably most galling of all, was the 13 strikeouts the Mariners had against the Athletics arms. Few M’s fans need much reminding that their beloved team led the Majors in strikeouts last year, with 1,625 Ks.

Looking to bounce back from a subpar — at least by his high standards — campaign last season, Luis Castillo did his best in allowing just three hits, a couple of walks and two earned runs in 5.0 innings. He also had four strikeouts, with this marking the 62nd time in his last 64 outings that he had gone at least 5.0 innings.

There will be those who may wonder why the Mariners did not bring Castillo back for the sixth inning? However, as per Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, the provisional plan is for all of their starters to have a pitch count of around 85 in their first outing this season, with ‘The Rock’ ending up on 83 pitches.

Two wasted opportunities for the M’s

In any event, the Mariners were only down 2-0 when Castillo left the mound, meaning that a comeback similar to the previous night was still well within reach. And it appeared set up for just this in the bottom of the fifth, as the home team got two men on base with no outs.

Donovan Solano struck out swinging, but then Dylan Moore hit a single which theoretically would have loaded the bases with only the one out. However, Mitch Garver attempted to score from second base on Moore’s hit, and he was thrown out at home plate.

With this opportunity lost, things really started to fall apart in the top of the seventh. The Athletics tagged on three more runs off M’s reliever Tayler Saucedo to make it 5-0, albeit two of the runs were ‘credited’ to Eduard Bazardo, who had left the game with two outs, but also two men on base.

Even after this, the Mariners still had another solid chance to get something on the board and begin a comeback, after getting two men on base with no outs courtesy of a couple of walks. However, a groundout by Jorge Polanco and two successive strikeouts ended the opportunity.

The Athletics finished off the Mariners with solo blasts in both the eighth and ninth innings off Saucedo and Carlos Vargas respectively, to make the final score of 7-0 to the visitors. Rubbing salt into the wound, the final run coming courtesy of Luis Urias, who plied his trade last year in Seattle.

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Mariners postgame quotes

Wilson’s meeting with the media postgame focused on the efforts of his pitchers, including lamenting how it went wrong in the top of the seventh. He said:

“Tough one tonight. You know I thought Rock gave us five strong. Obviously a chance to win was still there. And then (Gregory) Santos I thought threw a really good sixth inning. He looked really sharp, with some good sliders and good sinkers as well. The seventh inning was very difficult. … A tough break there. I thought those guys did the job they needed to do, but they just weren’t able to convert on the (final) out. And then the A’s added on a little bit later.”

Wilson was also gracious in making sure to compliment Springs for his performance on the night. He said:

“You’ve got to give Springs a little credit there tonight. I thought he pitched pretty well. … He had some pretty good command, a heater that kept us off that changeup enough, but I thought he commanded the changeup very well (also).”

Following on from a crowd of 42,871 on opening day, an attendance of 25,061 was announced at T-Mobile Park on Friday night. Fans will be hoping the Mariners can bounce back on Saturday evening in Seattle, as Bryce Miller makes his first start of the 2025 season.

While way too early to draw any conclusions, what has stood out for you in the first two Mariners games? What has encouraged and/or discouraged you? Let us know in the comments section below.