Slumping Mariners head to Detroit

For the Seattle Mariners, it was a homestand heavy on missteps and frustration, hardly the introduction they wanted to give their already-skeptical fans.

They started by getting shut down completely in front of a sellout crowd in the home opener. They wasted a gem by their ace in the most agonizing finish possible. They blew an 8-1 lead in one game and they watched one of their touted rookie arms get knocked out in the second inning of another. They unveiled the smallest crowd in Safeco Field history. And they were the victim of a perfect game.

On Sunday, the …

For the Seattle Mariners, it was a homestand heavy on missteps and frustration, hardly the introduction they wanted to give their already-skeptical fans.

They started by getting shut down completely in front of a sellout crowd in the home opener. They wasted a gem by their ace in the most agonizing finish possible. They blew an 8-1 lead in one game and they watched one of their touted rookie arms get knocked out in the second inning of another. They unveiled the smallest crowd in Safeco Field history. And they were the victim of a perfect game.

On Sunday, the reeling Mariners wrapped up the rough stand by blowing an early lead and falling to the Chicago White Sox 7-4.

That completed a sweep by the White Sox, extended the Mariners’ losing streak to four games and gave them a 3-6 record on the homestand. Now they head off on a rugged 10-game road trip to Detroit, Toronto and Tampa Bay.

In today’s opener against Detroit, the Mariners will send Jason Vargas to the mound against Max Scherzer of the Tigers. Scherzer has allowed three earned runs in six innings in his previous two starts.