Mariners reach a new season low after getting swept by Angels

SEATTLE – Their failures and lackluster performance on Monday night were described as “brutal” by manager Scott Servais.

The defeat they endured on Tuesday felt somewhat expected based on the lineup they rolled out due to injuries.

So when they wasted another strong starting performance, provided the most minimal of run support possible and blew a late lead while getting swept in a three-game series on Wednesday afternoon, the 2-1 loss seemed, well, inevitable.

Even the boos that rained down from fans disgusted that they wasted an afternoon of sunshine and mid-70s temperatures a T-Mobile Park watching this growing debacle lacked the anger and displeasure of failures past.

They were upset the Mariners lost, they were unimpressed with how they did it, but they also weren’t necessarily surprised by it.

“A familiar story, obviously,” Servais said.

As fans have come to realize that plot line never ends happily.

Seattle has started the second “half” of the season with a 1-5 record. But the failures extend well beyond the past seven days. The Mariners have lost 20 of their past 29 games and dropped nine of their past 10 series. They fell back out of first place in the AL West with Houston salvaging a win in Oakland.

“It’s been frustrating just because it’s been the same kind of thing over and over,” M’s catcher Cal Raleigh said. “We have to find a way to make an adjustment.

“Fortunately, it’s not like we’re 10 games out. Baseball is a funny game. As soon as you think you’re on top of the world, it will humble you and vice versa.”

Over their past eight games, the Mariners have scored 14 runs, which includes the six runs in their only win during that span. They’ve scored two runs or fewer in the other seven games.

“I do believe that we will get this going,” Servais said. “It’s just a struggle right now. Everybody that’s here on a daily basis is trying to grind through it and it’s all you can do. You can’t quit, you can’t go home, the schedule won’t allow you to do that.”

Luis Castillo delivered another quality start for the Mariners. He tossed six scoreless innings, allowing five hits, with two walks and seven strikeouts, and took a no decision.

Each of the past seven times Mariners starters have delivered quality starts, they’ve lost the game.

Castillo’s teammates rewarded his effort with one run of support against Angels starter Griffin Canning – Mitch Haniger’s solo homer to start the third inning.

That wasn’t enough.

The Mariners did work the bases loaded in the fourth with no outs on Jorge Polanco’s double, a Haniger walk and a Jason Vosler single. But Tyler Locklear’s hard groundball down the third-base line was gloved by Rengifo. He stepped on third for an out and fired to home to get Polanco at the plate for a double play.

“If the ball gets down the line and goes into the corner, it’s a three-run double and we’re singing a different tune,” Servais said. “It’s bases loaded and nobody out and you walk away with nothing. We’re in a situation where we’re not catching any breaks and we’re not creating a lot of opportunities.”

After Collin Snider provided a crisp 1-2-3 seventh, the Mariners lost the lead and a leverage reliever in the eighth.

Gregory Santos, who had missed most of the season with a lat inury, entered to pitch against the top of the order. He allowed leadoff hitter Nolan Schanuel’s soft single. He came back to strike out Luis Rengifo and get Taylor Ward to ground out to first. But he couldn’t close out the inning, giving up Willie Calhoun’s single. Santos left the game a few minutes later due to right knee discomfort after he was called for a balk.

“He said he felt it a couple of pitches earlier, a sharp pain in his knee,” Servais said.

His replacement, Trent Thornton, allowed the go-ahead run to score on an RBI single.

“Luis did an awesome job, maybe didn’t have his A game today,” Servais said. “They really made him battle and throw a lot of pitches, but to keep the game right there in a pretty good spot as far as having a lead when he left, you can’t ask for more than that. Getting those final outs in these games have been difficult, but it’s also hard to win games, 1-0.”

After a day off Thursday, the Mariners will open a six-game road trip with a three-game series in Chicago against the White Sox, followed by three games in Boston against the Red Sox.

“When you do go out on a roadtrip like we’re about to head out on, it does tend to bring your team closer together,” Servais said. “You are spending more time together, talking through things, trying to figure out how to get the ship righted here. And we will.

“I truly believe that baseball is crazy that way. It can be the most cruel game in the world and it can be the greatest game in the world.”