SEATTLE -- Don't try telling Marco Gonzales these games don't mean anything.
While the Mariners are all but mathematically eliminated in the American League Wild Card race, Gonzales wants to finish strong after a rough August and a two-week disabled list stint put a crimp in his outstanding season.
So Tuesday's solid five-inning start in the Mariners' 2-1 loss to the Padres loomed large for the 26-year-old lefty as he looked far more like the pitcher Seattle saw over the first four months of the season before going 0-4 with a 10.