Logan Gilbert dazzles, Mariners offense disappoints in loss to Rangers

SEATTLE – For six brilliant innings, Logan Gilbert was as good as he’s ever been for the Mariners.

He was perfect, even.

And then, just like that, he wasn’t.

On a night when the Mariners offense (again) mustered little run support, the Texas Rangers broke up Gilbert’s perfect game with two runs in the seventh inning en route to a 2-1 come-from-behind victory to spoil the Mariners’ bid to move over .500 for the first time this season.

The Mariners, after taking two of three games from Houston over the weekend, dropped to 17-18.

They are 4-10 in one-run games.

Ty France hit a solo home run in the first inning, but the Mariners got nothing more against Rangers starter Jon Gray.

Gray struck scattered four hits over seven innings, striking out eight and walking none for the Rangers (21-13).

Gilbert was even better for six innings, retiring the first 18 batters he faced.

Early in the game, Gilbert struck out seven consecutive batters – all swinging – to tie a franchise record shared with Mark Langston (June 1984) and Luis Castillo (September 2022).

The first six of those swinging strikeouts came on four-seam fastballs, five of them at the top of the strike zone.

He was untouchable.

Until the seventh inning, that is.

On a 1-1 pitch, Marcus Semien hit an 88 mph slider on the ground up the middle, past a diving shortstop Jose Caballero, to break up Gilbert’s perfect game.

Gilbert struck out the next batter, Robbie Grossman, looking at a slider. Nathaniel Lowe followed with a solid single, and Adolis Garcia walked on a 3-2 pitch.

That loaded the bases for Josh Jung, who lifted a fly ball to deep right field for a sacrifice fly to score Semien from third and tie the score at 1-1.

Jonah Heim followed with a soft single to center to score Lowe from third base for the go-ahead run.

The Mariners, leading 1-0, wasted a prime chance to add on in the fifth inning.

Teoscar Hernandez and Jose Caballero singled, and Kolten Wong was hit by a curveball in the dirt, loading the bases with one out for Julio Rodriguez.

But Rodriguez hit the first pitch he saw from Texas starter Jon Gray into the ground for a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.

There would be no late-game dramatics for the Mariners offense this time.

In the eighth inning, after Wong was hit by a pitch again in his lower leg, Rodriguez came to the plate with one out – and again he grounded to third on the first pitch he saw from Rangers reliever Jonathan Hernandez.

Lowe, the Rangers first baseman, couldn’t handle the low throw from second base after Wong was put out on a 5-4 play. That allowed Rodriguez to reach first.

France was then hit in the elbow, putting two runners on with two outs for Jarred Kelenic.

But the Rangers brought in left-handed reliever Brock Burke, who struck out Kelenic swinging through a high slider to end the Mariners’ last best chance.

Will Smith closed it out in the ninth inning for the Rangers for his fifth save.