The 7 Runs Our Starter Gave Up Tell You Everything About This Mariners Loss

Ugh. Just UGH, fam! Thursday night in Baltimore, our boys fell 7-5 to the Orioles, and yeah, we ended up splitting that four-game series. Honestly, it was a tough one to swallow because it felt like a game we could’ve had, but our starter just couldn't find his rhythm, giving up seven runs early. It’s early June, and we gotta start tightening things up if we want to make some noise. This one stung, big time.

Early Jabs and a Punch to the Gut

We actually started this game hot! A Mariner stepped up to the plate on just the third pitch and absolutely crushed an 0-2 delivery for his fifth homer of the season. Talk about a statement! We were up 1-0, feeling good, but then the O's woke up, and boy, did they wake up fast. Their center fielder, Colton Cowser, led off the bottom of the third with his seventh homer of the year, tying it up, and honestly, that was just the beginning of a nightmare inning. That solo shot kicked off a massive six-run explosion for Baltimore. Adley Rutschman, playing in his first game of the series after a hamstring issue, slammed a two-run double, and then Pete Alonso put the cherry on top with a two-run bomb. Just like that, it was 6-1. Our starter, who went five innings total, really got hit hard in that frame, giving up seven runs and seven hits for the night. You just can’t give away innings like that on the road, especially not when you’re trying to build momentum.

A Glimmer of Hope That Faded

But hey, our guys showed some fight! We came roaring back in the fourth. Two of our sluggers went back-to-back, with one of them hitting a two-run blast and the next launching a solo shot. That was the energy we needed! And then, our very own Julio Rodriguez, who had two hits on the night, came through clutch with a two-out, run-scoring single that brought the score to a nail-biting 6-5. The Emerald City was buzzing, even from afar, thinking we had a real shot to tie it up or take the lead right there. But Rutschman, the same guy who tormented us earlier, hit an RBI single in the fifth, pushing their lead back to 7-5. Our bullpen tried to hold it down, with Tyler Wells getting the win for the O's with three innings of hitless relief, and Andrew Kittredge picking up his first save in the ninth. We even put two runners aboard with two outs in the eighth, setting up a huge moment, but the Orioles brought in Grant Wolfram, and he managed to get a groundout to squash the rally. So close, yet so far.

Splitting a four-game series isn't the worst thing, but when you drop the final game in a way that feels so preventable, it’s tough. We need to figure out how to keep those big innings from exploding against us, especially from our starters. Next time out, the focus has to be on throwing strikes, keeping guys off base, and letting our bats do their thing consistently. What's at stake is getting back to that winning consistency we know our Mariners are capable of. Let's go, M's! We'll be watching every pitch.

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