The Mariners Just Got Absolutely Smoked, And A Catcher in LA Knows Exactly How It Feels

Alright, Seattle, deep breaths everyone. Because if you checked the box score from our M's game against the Nats, you know we got absolutely shellacked. A brutal 10-1 loss. Ouch. That stings, doesn't it? It makes you wanna throw your beer right at the TV, but we're better than that. We're Seattle fans, we take our lumps and we keep watching.

Even Dodgers Stars Get "Exposed"

But let me tell you, it's not just our guys catching strays in this early season. Even down in LA, where the Dodgers are usually rolling, their catcher, Dalton Rushing, just went through an inning so bad he admitted he felt "exposed." Can you believe it? He was shouldering the blame after the Chicago White Sox absolutely exploded in the sixth inning on Sunday. Their starter, Emmet Sheehan, was cruising with a 1-0 lead, then BAM. Solo homer to Sam Antonacci, the first batter he saw, then concurrent hits after that, and suddenly, LA's down.

Rushing said it himself, "You still stick to, one, what your pitcher is good at first of all, and two, kind of pitch around what the hitter is good at. Like I said, I thought we did a fine job with that. Their leadoff guy jumped on a pitch that he historically isn’t great against. But he put a good swing on the ball and sadly it didn’t go our way. They made a few adjustments as an offense and exposed me personally." The right-hander came out, making room for left-handed reliever Jack Dreyer, but the White Sox kept piling it on with two two-run homers, extending their lead to five runs. Talk about a nightmare inning, right?

Good Numbers Don't Always Save You

Here's the kicker though. This guy, Rushing, has actually been pretty darn good this year! He stepped up as the Dodgers' starting catcher because Will Smith is out with a neck issue. The dude's got an .881 OPS through 40 games this season. That's elite! He's crushed eight homers and driven in 21 RBIs this year, rocking an elite .521 slugging percentage. Plus, he's solid behind the plate, showing great defensive displays. He's been working with Roki Sasaki all season, even helped him become a confident starter over the last month, and almost caught a perfect game just the day before his meltdown on Saturday. So even when you're playing well, baseball finds a way to humble you. He even spoke about Dreyer's rough patch, saying, "It seems as if they’re kind of selling out a little bit to an extent. Last year, he was able to keep them in between by putting at least two pitches in the zone. … It sucks, though. You never want to see a pitcher go through a rough stretch." That's baseball, man.

So yeah, our Mariners getting walloped 10-1 by the Nationals stings, no doubt. But seeing a guy like Rushing, who's putting up insane numbers, still admit he got "exposed" by an offense, it just shows you how brutal and beautiful this game can be. It's early season, folks, and there will be ups and downs for every team, every player. We gotta keep our chins up. We need to shake off this loss and come back swinging. What's next for our M's? Let's see if our guys can prove they've learned from getting "exposed" just like Rushing is trying to. Go M's!

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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.