Cal Raleigh homers, but Mariners' bullpen falters late in loss to Athletics
The victories and series win over the Rangers over the weekend came with future costs.
With closer Andres Muñoz and lefty setup man Gabe Speier unable to pitch due to heavy usage in the past series and the games prior, and Eduard Bazardo only available with a lead late in the game, manager Dan Wilson had to try and piece together the back end of a close game.
The puzzle got that much more difficult when starter Emerson Hancock only gave them five complete innings of work, starting the sixth inning and never recording an out.
The results? A tie game got turned into a disappointing 6-4 loss to the Athletics Monday night at T-Mobile Park.
It was a suboptimal start to three-game series vs. another American League West foe.
We were a little bit thin tonight," Wilson said of the bullpen. "Those are really tough decisions when you are trying to hold people back and not overuse them. We had to use several guys in the series prior."
Asked to pitch in a leverage situation for the first time this season, Casey Legumina gave up three runs in the top of the eighth inning and the Mariners couldn't recover.
The Mariners used Matt Brash in the seventh to face the top of the A's order and he gave them a scoreless inning to keep the game tied at 3-3. Wilson had both Legumina and Bazardo up and warming in the bottom of the seventh, but opted for Legumina.
"You've got to cover more innings than just the one," Wilson said. "You have to balance which spot you want and which guy, and you have to look at it all. And we felt like at that moment to go with Legumina."
Or simply put, the Mariners didn't take a lead so they weren't going to use Bazardo until they had one or no save situation was possible.
Legumina, who has rarely pitched in such close late-game situations since joining the Mariners, gave up leadoff hustle double to Tyler Soderstrom and a single to Jacob Wilson to put runners on first and third. Legumina walked Jeff McNeil to load the bases.
Max Muncy gave the A's a productive out with a sac fly to right field that was just deep enough to score Soderstrom ahead of a strong throw from Dom Canzone. Lawrence Butler added to the lead with a two-run single to right field.
But the bullpen shouldn't shoulder all the blame in the loss. The Mariners' offense, after scoring three runs in the first two innings off Oakland starter J.T. Ginn, went quiet, failing to add runs until it was too late.
Down three runs, the Mariners picked up a run in the ninth when Leo Rivas doubled into the right-field corner to score Cole Young from first base. But Rivas never left second base. J.P. Crawford popped out in foul territory and Cal Raleigh flew out to shallow right to end the game.
It was two more failed at-bats on a night when the Mariners went 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven runners on base.
"As I've said before, the at-bats have been better," Wilson said. "We're getting in those situations and just not able to convert. Whether or not we're making contact, our at-bats, our approach, what we're doing, it's in the right spot, but we are just not able to get the result we want."
The result being something more than out and something more productive than a strikeout.
The game couldn't have gotten off to a much better start. Julio Rodriguez made a brilliant leaping catch on Nick Kurtz's knuckling line drive to center field, taking away a sure leadoff double.
The Mariners jumped on Ginn in the first inning.
Working a 3-1 count, Raleigh got a sinker away and sent it into the Mariners' bullpen for a solo homer. It was his third homer of the season and it came through a simpler approach and process that yielded so many homers last season.
Rodriguez followed with a single up the middle. He immediately stole second and then scored on Josh Naylor's double down the first-base line.
Seattle tacked on another run in the second inning when Canzone's towering fly ball to right field carried just over the wall and into the stands for a leadoff homer.
Given a 3-0 lead after the second inning, Hancock couldn't quite deliver a quality start as the A's chipped away at the lead via the solo homer.
Carlos Cortes smashed a solo homer to deep right-center to start the fourth inning.
Hancock gave up back-to-back homers to Kurtz and Shea Langeliers to start the sixth inning, which ended his outing.
"We didn't get ahead great, but also it felt like we were able to make some really good pitches when it mattered," Hancock said. "We were able to execute pretty well. But then again with all the solo homers, you fall behind early, they force you back in the zone and they put good swings on pitches. That's where I gotta do a better job, especially finishing the six. The offense does a great job, gets you run some run support, and you've just got to do everything you can to try to limit that from happening.
His final line: five innings pitched, three runs allowed on seven hits with no walks and three strikeouts.
But the Mariners never added to that early 3-0 lead to provide more cushion.
They didn't lack for opportunities.
Naylor was stranded at second in the first inning when Randy Arozarena grounded out to short and Luke Raley struck out.
Naylor hit a one-out double in the third inning and watched as Arozarena and Raley both struck out.
Canzone led off the third with a screaming double off the wall in right field. He moved to third on Young's ground ball to first. But Rivas couldn't get a ball into the outfield to score him and Crawford's soft ground ball to first was gloved for the final out of the inning.
In the eight when they were down three runs, Rodriguez singled with one out and Naylor followed with a single and stole second to put a pair of runners in scoring position. But Arozarena struck out and Rob Refsnyder popped out to end the inning.
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