Mariners let Angels off the ropes in 2nd straight loss

ANAHEIM – It took 13 pitches into Saturday’s game for the Mariners offense to do what it hasn’t done much of this season: deliver on a scoring chance.

But that first-inning run turned out to be an exception to the trend.

Seattle, which came into the day tied with the White Sox for worst batting average with men in scoring position at .220, went 1-for-8 in a 2-1 loss to the Angels.

“We had them on the ropes,” said manager Scott Servais, who saw his club come through on only one of seven opportunities in Friday’s extra-innings loss. “We just could not knock them out.”

In the third inning against Los Angeles starter José Soriano, the Mariners loaded the bases with two outs, but Luke Raley struck out. In the fifth, with the exact same setup. Raley grounded out to second.

Then in the seventh, Seattle got a leadoff double from No. 9 hitter Victor Robles -- his third hit of the game -- to set up the top of the order. But a succession of swinging strikeouts – from J.P. Crawford, Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez – further underscored the Mariners' clutch-hitting woes.

That would be the last runner stranded for Seattle – because the Mariners didn’t get another baserunner the rest of the way.

Even when they produced their only run – created by a well-earned walk by Crawford, a Raleigh single and a Rodríguez hit up the middle – a double play by Raley prevented additional damage.

While the offense has been a painful watch, their starting pitcher is following a much more promising trend. George Kirby may not be an All-Star, but he’s been pitching like one of late.

Heading into his outing at Angel Stadium, he had posted a 2.19 ERA over his previous eight appearances. Saturday evening turned out to be his seventh consecutive quality start, although it took a while for him to get into rhythm.

“I wasn’t landing my off-speed pitches for strikes,” Kirby said. “They were sitting on my heater and taking advantage.”

The result was traffic in each of his first three innings, and it allowed for his defense to betray him in the second.

With Mickey Moniak in scoring position and Zach Neto on first, Jo Adell singled to right-center field. Raley tried to get it back into the infield, but his throw skipped past Crawford covering second and out of the reach of third baseman Josh Rojas, who had collided with Neto. The ball found its way near the Angels dugout, allowing Neto to score. With nobody covering third, Adell was able to advance 180 feet.

“Uncharacteristic play for us,” Servais said. “It’s unfortunate we weren’t able to overcome that error.”

With that Little League sequence, Kirby’s 1-0 lead became a 2-1 deficit. He was brilliant from there on out -- retiring the last 11 batters he faced -- but it turned out that enough damage had been done.

“Once he got going,” Servais said, “it was vintage George Kirby.”

Over six innings and 92 pitches, the right-hander fanned seven, walked two and allowed three hits. He maintained the hard slider that has been apparent in this recent stretch, throwing it 24 times.

“I thought I did a hell of a job,” said Kirby in assessing his first half, which he ended by lowering his ERA by more than a run since May 24. “Once I started to work in my slider more and utilize all my pitches.”

Despite the pleasant surprise of Robles -- 11-for-29 since joining the team on June 5 -- and the welcome resurgence of Rodríguez, who’s 8-for-11 with three RBIs in this series, the Mariners resorted to the offensive struggles that have plagued them for the entire season and especially in the 17 games prior to this road trip in which they lost 12 times and averaged 3.2 runs.

Thus, Seattle’s grip on first place, which it's held for over 60 days, continues to be shaky as the All-Star break nears.