Mariners Scored Two Runs Against Baseball's Worst Pitching Staff and Lost Anyway

Two runs. Against a team that can't throw a strike. Against a pitching staff ranked third to last in the American League in ERA. Two runs, and a loss.

The Mariners fell 5-2 to the Athletics on Tuesday night in front of a sparse crowd at T-Mobile Park, and honestly, there's no way to dress this one up. Yes, manager Dan Wilson can talk about the approach improving and the at-bats getting better. Yes, it's early in the season. But right now, this offense has been inconsistent, unproductive far too often, and listless when it matters most.

The A's Are Historically Bad at Pitching. The Mariners Made Them Look Great.

Look at what Oakland brought to the table. The A's ranked third to last in ERA at 4.71. They'd issued the second most walks in all of baseball with 112. Their walks plus hits over innings pitched stood at 1.50, third highest in MLB. These are generational red flags.

And the Mariners managed two runs.

Going 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position and stranding eight baserunners tells you everything. Over Monday and Tuesday combined, Seattle is 1 for 16 with runners in scoring position, including hitless in their last 15 at-bats with scoring chances. They've left 15 runners on base in those two games.

Castillo Battled, Bullpen Folded, Offense Disappeared

Luis Castillo wasn't sharp, needing 95 pitches to get through five innings. He worked through 13 three-ball counts and threw 24 foul balls, but he still only gave up two runs on five hits with two walks and six strikeouts. That's a performance that should keep you in the game.

The problem is the Mariners couldn't build on it. Oakland took a 1-0 lead in the first when Nick Kurtz walked on six pitches, stole second, and scored on Tyler Soderstrom's two-out double to right-center. Seattle tied it in the third when Rob Refsnyder and Cal Raleigh led off with back-to-back singles. Refsnyder scored on Josh Naylor's sacrifice fly after advancing to third on Julio Rodriguez's flyout.

The A's went back up 2-1 in the fourth on Jeff McNeil's solo homer to right field off Castillo, his third career shot off the Seattle starter. Raleigh answered with a solo shot to left in the fifth for his fourth homer of the season and his second straight game with a blast.

But then the bullpen collapsed. Eduard Bazardo, Gabe Speier, and Cole Wilcox all allowed runs in their appearances, turning a tied game into a 5-2 defeat.

In their 25th game of the season, the Mariners have now been held to two runs or fewer 10 times. They're 1-9 in those games. That's the stat that should keep you up at night: not losing games when your offense disappears, but losing them when the other team's pitching staff is among the worst in baseball.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.