Mariners muster only two hits in lackluster loss to Red Sox

As Nick Davila struggled to record the first out of the seventh inning, the crowd of 45,663 - a second consecutive sellout - started "the wave" with the Mariners trailing by four runs.

The noise swirled around T-Mobile Park, and many of the fans seemed genuinely happy to stand up and scream.

It circulated far longer than expected or needed or wanted.

And while a large section of the fanbase vehemently and correctly detests the wave, particularly doing it when the home team is losing, the counter argument from the partakers in Saturday night's crowd might be something like: "Well, we needed something to do to provide some entertainment because the Mariners sure the hell weren't doing it."

Indeed, in terms of action, aesthetics, excitement and successful results, Seattle provided little in a lackluster 5-1 loss to the Red Sox. It was reminiscent of too many performances this season, including an uninspiring loss 24 hours earlier - the opponents' left-handed starter stymies the Mariners offense for six-plus innings while the M's starting pitcher is solid through five innings, but his replacement allows Boston's lead to balloon to the point where rallying is impossible.

The only difference being the piggyback philosophy couldn't be blamed for this loss. Though there are some fans creative enough to find a way.

Tough one tonight, again," manager Dan Wilson said.

The Mariners mustered only two hits in the game - a single from Cal Raleigh and an RBI single from Josh Naylor. Both came in the first inning off Red Sox starter Connelly Early. That means they didn't get another hit over the next eight innings. The only ways they reached base in the innings that followed were drawing a walk (two) or being hit by a pitch (3).

Early, a young lefty with impressive stuff and wandering command, was effectively wild. He worked six innings, allowing that one run on two hits with two walks and seven strikeouts. He threw 98 pitches with 57 strikes.

"He was unpredictable," Wilson said.

It was difficult to build an approach for a pitcher that seemed to have minimal idea where certain pitches would go leaving his hand. He threw just enough strikes that the Mariners couldn't wait him out of walks. But he was erratic enough that they never felt comfortable looking for certain spots in the zone.

"He kept us off stride," Wilson said. "The fastballs, you weren't really sure where it was going to go and where it was going to be in the zone and he was landing his breaking ball from time to time as well."

The Mariners seemed poised to put up multiple runs in the first inning when J.P. Crawford led off with a walk and Raleigh followed with a single. Julio Rodríguez hit into a force out at second. But with runners on first and third with one out, Naylor laced a single to center to score Crawford for a 1-0 lead.

With runners on first and second and one out, Rodríguez and Naylor attempted a double steal to avoid a double play and put a runner at third for with Rob Refsnyder at the plate. Red Sox catcher Carlos Narvaez disrupted the plan, firing a dart to third to get Rodríguez for the second out of the inning. Refsnyder grounded out to end the frame and Early escaped serious trouble.

"We were trying to put pressure on them early," Wilson said. "It just didn't work out. I thought it was pretty close. We were just trying to force the issue a little bit."

The Mariners may have to force more issues as they face another left-handed starter in Sunday's series finale - Payton Tolle. Their struggles against left-handed pitching are well documented. They are now 10-13 in games started by left-handed pitchers, dropping four of their last five.

At some point, they have to figure it out. Teams have been strategizing against Seattle with their left-handed starters and relievers all season.

"We'll look at it again and put the lineup together, and make adjustments where we think we have to," Wilson said. "It's just something that we're gonna have to make the adjustment to and get after it tomorrow, and we'll do that."

Seattle trailed 2-1 when Emerson Hancock jogged to the mound to start the sixth inning. He was on the cusp of another quality start with his pitch count only at 58.

He had retired the first nine hitters he faced before giving up a leadoff single to Anthony Seigler to start the fourth inning. After striking out Masataka Yoshida, Hancock immediately fell behind 2-0 to Wilyer Abreu. He went to the cutter in the hitter's count, but it stayed in the middle of the plate. Abreu sent it just over the wall in center field for a two-run homer.

But his outing fell apart in the sixth inning. After getting Seigler to ground out for a quick first out, Hancock wouldn't record another out in the frame. He allowed a single to Yoshida and issued back-to-back walks to Abreu and Willson Contreras to load the bases.

"The Contreras at-bat changed with the wild pitch that moved the runners to second and third and the double play is out of position," Hancock said. "You really want to make your pitches in that at-bat. It's a two-run game and you are trying to get to your spot. You give a good team free bases, you give an offense extra chances to score and they can take advantage of that.

With Hancock struggling to find the zone, Wilson went to Jose A. Ferrer to face the left-handed hitting Jarren Duran. Ferrer got Duran to hit a ground ball to first baseman Naylor, who fired home to get the force out. But the Mariners couldn't complete the inning-ending, 3-2-3 double play as Duran beat out Raleigh's subsequent throw to first base by a step.

That loomed large when Ferrer uncorked a wild pitch during his 11-pitch battle with Caleb Durbin that allowed a run to score. Durbin plated another run on his infield single to shortstop that was gloved on a diving stop by Colt Emerson. Marcelo Mayer followed with a soft chopper to second baseman that Cole Young could only field and hold on to. He had no play anywhere as another run scored and Mayer was safe at first base.

When Durbin ran the Red Sox out of the inning by trying to steal home on a pickoff throw to first base, the inning finally ended with the Sox leading 5-1.

A four-run deficit isn't impossible to overcome, but it also isn't likely to happen either.

BOX SCORE

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This story was originally published June 20, 2026 at 11:41 PM.