Tough breaks, scuffling bats compound as Mariners drop series

SEATTLE -- Julio Rodríguez screamed into his glove after gathering himself from his knees on the warning track in left-center field, an all-telling encapsulation to how frustrating this stretch is that both he and the Mariners are mired in.

Seattle’s center fielder just barely missed what would’ve been a remarkable -- and inning-ending -- catch on Wednesday night that instead caromed off the top of his glove, reached the wall and turned into a two-run double from Ryan O’Hearn.

It put the Orioles on the board, and coupled with another two-out knock against Logan Gilbert -- who’d walked two to set up the jam -- the third inning sent the Mariners on their way to a 4-1 loss at T-Mobile Park, matching a season-worst skid at four games.

Rodríguez catch attempt had just a 15% catch probability, per Statcast, after he covered 91 feet in 4.8 seconds, with a sprint speed of 29.7 feet-per-second (27.0 is league average).

“Most people probably don't even get there,” Gilbert said. “So I just appreciate the effort. ... He's picked me up plenty of times and almost did it again.”

A half-inning prior, Rodríguez crushed a 105 mph fly ball that off the bat appeared destined to clear the wall in straightaway center but instead went for a 394-foot, inning-ending flyout.

Tough breaks are certainly a byproduct in any team-wide rut, but the moments of misfortune on Wednesday were far outweighed by Seattle’s scuffling offense again lacking the timely hit, or really any hits.

The Mariners had five, and only one for extra bases, when Cal Raleigh crushed a 423-foot solo shot in the sixth. The night prior, they finished with a season-low two. And they struck out 13 times on Wednesday, marking their eighth straight game with double-digit punchouts, MLB’s longest streak this year.

“The story is the same old story,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “We’re trying to get our offense going.”

For the second straight night -- and despite Seattle’s attempt to ease pressure on him by dropping him to the No. 7 hole -- Rodríguez was the Mariners’ final batter, popping out into foul territory as boos reigned down. They were also audible for Jorge Polanco, who broke through with a single in an 0-2 count in the seventh, but who also K’d thrice. Even new fan favorite Luke Raley had his share, after a three-pitch punchout to end the eighth.

“Certainly, confidence is down a little bit,” Servais said. “We're used to playing in these close games, winning them. ... It's really easy to get down on yourself. And I don't want to see that happen with our club. But these guys are human. They feel it.”

Seattle has now dropped 10 of its past 13 games while seeing its lead atop the American League West sliced from 10 games to two over the Astros.

“Rock bottom” doesn’t exist for first-place teams; it’s a contrast, not a juxtaposition. But for a club that hasn’t won a division title since 2001, the Mariners will either look at this midseason stretch as their most trying that they were able to overcome, or one that sparked a spiral.

“Everyone hears the noise about we're not really doing well as an offense right now,” J.P. Crawford said. “And the only way we can get out of that is to keep working, and just knowing that one day we're going to get out of it and we're going to get rolling.”

Can Seattle’s team leader point to anything that’s led to this point?

“I think trying to do too much, and you get out of your gameplan a little bit,” Crawford said. “You're trying to hit a five-run home run every single time you're at bat. You can't do that, obviously. That's what I see right now.”

Crawford had a critical strikeout that ended the fifth, just after Dylan Moore lined out. Those two at-bats represented the Mariners’ only with runners in scoring position, after Rodríguez legged out an infield single then reached second base on a hit-and-run that turned into a groundout from Dominic Canzone.

The Mariners are now 0-for-7 with RISP this series after going 4-for-34 in such situations vs. the Twins over the weekend.

“I think just remembering to breathe and just not try to do too much at that time,” Crawford said. “I mean, it's so hard not to. But I mean, yeah, you do whatever you can to try to calm the nerves.”

The Mariners (47-41) will now look to avoid their first sweep of the season at home -- needing a lifeline for an offense that’s been on life support.