ANAHEIM -- Lefty José Suarez has enjoyed a solid season and has been one of the Angels’ most consistent starters since joining the rotation in mid-June, but he’s had trouble getting through opposing lineups a third time.

That was again the case on Monday afternoon against the Mariners, as he cruised into the fifth inning before struggling against the top of the order and giving up a grand slam to Carlos Santana in a 9-1 loss in the series finale at Angel Stadium. Suarez had posted a 2.14 ERA over his past eight starts, and he hadn't allowed more than three runs in any of those outings. But he gave up five runs over five innings against Seattle to fall to 6-8 with a 4.11 ERA in 96 1/3 innings this year.

"It's a learning experience for a pitcher," said interim manager Phil Nevin. "The good ones understand how you've gotten a guy out early, and then maybe you try something a little different and attack the hitter differently later. We've talked to him about it. But that inning was more about losing the strike zone."

Suarez has fared just fine against hitters when facing them early in the game. Entering his start Monday, opposing batters had a .520 OPS when facing him for the first time in a game, .771 the second time through the order and 1.045 the third -- a number that increased further after the Mariners' fifth-inning rally.

It's a reason why Suarez hasn't pitched deep into games much this year, as his season high is seven innings, which he's done twice. His average start length has been a tick below five innings, as he's thrown 89 2/3 innings over 18 starts.

It's something Suarez will need to improve on next year, as the Angels expect to count on him as part of their 2023 rotation. The 24-year-old has posted a 3.93 ERA in 194 2/3 innings over the past two years, but he will need to do better against hitters deeper in games to take that next step.

Suarez scuffled early against the Mariners, allowing a leadoff single to J.P. Crawford before giving up an RBI double to Ty France to put the Angels in an early hole. Suarez settled down from there, retiring 11 of the next 13 batters he faced through the end of the fourth, but he said he never really felt like he had good control.

“From the start of the game, I just wasn’t locating my pitches like I usually do,” Suarez said through an interpreter. “I haven’t thrown against these guys many times. This was my fourth time I faced them [this year]. I had been pitching well, but today I just didn’t have my pitches. I couldn’t make it through the sixth inning. If you don’t have your pitches, it’s tough to control the game.”

Suarez found trouble in the fifth, when he faced the top of Seattle's lineup for the third time. After walking No. 9 hitter Curt Casali on four pitches, he gave up a single to Mitch Haniger and hit France on the foot with a slider to load the bases with two outs. It set the stage for Santana’s game-changing grand slam.

"I thought he was throwing well until the four-pitch walk to Casali,” Nevin said. “That's what got him. I thought he was throwing well until then, but then it unraveled. I was going to let him go a little longer today because of where we are in the 'pen. But his first four innings, he was good."

Control was again the issue for Suarez, as he fell behind Santana with a 3-0 count before serving up the grand slam on a 3-1 fastball. Suarez remained in the game and allowed a single to Dylan Moore, but he picked him off first to end the inning and his outing after throwing 87 pitches (57 strikes).

Nevin reiterated that Suarez can learn from this outing, and that the Angels are well-aware of his troubles facing opposing lineups for a third time.

"You fall behind 3-0 and you come into Santana like that, he's going to do some damage,” Nevin said. “But to navigate through the third time is about understanding how you get guys out early in the game and what you've done in the past, and maybe try to use your other pitches to get those guys out. You have to pitch to your strengths and understand what the hitter is probably thinking along with you. So it's a learning experience."