SEATTLE -- Cal Raleigh appreciates the historical individual milestones that he continues to rack up in the young years of his career. But it’s also difficult for the Mariners’ incredibly competitive catcher to savor them as Seattle’s postseason hopes approach peril.

Raleigh on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park crushed his 30th home run of the season, a towering, 395-foot solo shot in the first inning that made him the first catcher since Hall of Famer Mike Piazza to crush that many in consecutive seasons. But the drive from “Big Dumper” wasn’t nearly enough in a 7-3 loss to the Padres, who themselves demolished a pair of homers that proved far more decisive.

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Fernando Tatis Jr. took George Kirby deep on a first-pitch fastball with two on to give San Diego a lead in the third inning. Then Manny Machado ended Kirby’s night with a 429-foot, two-run homer in the sixth. Machado then tacked on a two-run single in the seventh that nicked reliever Austin Voth before finding open space in center field.

The Mariners had a rally brewing in the seventh, with the bases loaded, one out and Julio Rodríguez up as the potential tying run. But he hit into an inning-ending double play, Seattle’s most critical among its seven outs in eight at-bats with runners in scoring position. Rodríguez, whose 11-game hit streak ended, was at the plate in three of those sequences.

“These are the tough ones to lose, because the effort was there,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said.

Kirby struggled to steer from the heart of the plate for most of the night, evidenced by both homers via middle-middle fastballs. He also labored in two-strike counts, either settling for five field outs and four strikeouts, but he also surrendered one walk and four hits, including Machado’s big homer.

“A team like that, I've just got to be more fine,” Kirby said of the Padres, who lead MLB with an 82.0% contact rate. “They don't swing and miss a ton. So I just got to [throw] really quality strikes in the zone. … That's the frustrating part. Like, I know exactly what I've got to do. It's just just one little pitch here and there. It's not going my way.”

Aside from Raleigh’s milestones, the Mariners didn’t have much to smile about as they opened a nine-game homestand -- especially after failing to capitalize on an Astros loss to Oakland. Seattle is 8-11 since the All-Star break on the same day that Houston loses, excluding head-to-head matchups. The club fell to 4 1/2 games back in the American League West and four games back of the final AL Wild Card spot, which is occupied by the Twins, who defeated the Angels.

As for Raleigh, he also passed Wilson, his mentor and manager, for second-most homers among catchers in franchise history, now with a career 89 that trails only Mike Zunino’s 95. That number is also the second most in MLB history for catchers in their first four seasons, behind only Piazza’s 92. There are still 17 games for Raleigh to best that mark.

Raleigh also became only the 12th catcher in MLB history with multiple 30-plus homer seasons, joining Piazza (nine), Johnny Bench (four), Roy Campanella (four), Rudy York, Yogi Berra, Gary Carter, Lance Parrish, Mickey Tettleton, Todd Hundley, Javy López and Gary Sánchez.

Piazza’s run of 30-homer years stretches eight seasons, from 1995-2002.

In franchise history, at any position, Raleigh is one of just eight players with multiple 30-homer seasons, joining Ken Griffey Jr. (six), Alex Rodriguez (four), Nelson Cruz (four), Jay Buhner (three), Bret Boone, Richie Sexson and Kyle Seager.

“Cal is the first one here every day,” Kirby said. “He's the last one to leave. He works harder than anybody I've ever met. He means a lot to the team. ... He comes up big when we need him. So he's a huge player to have on your team. And he's just a great teammate, too. Overall, I think that's the best thing about him.”

Raleigh’s glove has been just as strong -- if not better -- than his bat. He’s on pace to lead the position for the second straight season in homers and catcher caught-stealings, with 24. Since the latter stat began tracking in 1974, only two players have led in each category in consecutive years: the Rangers’ Jim Sundberg from 1975-76 and Hall of Famer Gary Carter for the Expos from 1982-83.

The superlatives go on and on, but they also take a back seat after stinging losses, which continue to pile up.