The Mariners needed Yovani Gallardo to stand up and deliver Thursday at Safeco Field.
The four-game winning streak they brought into the afternoon included three victories over the N.L.’s most surprising playoff contenders, the Colorado Rockies. It was the closest the 2017 Mariners have gotten to a roll, and they looked to Gallardo to help maintain momentum.
Gallardo retired the side in the top of the first, and then gave up – taking a deep breath here – a walk, a two-run homer, a ground-rule double, a single and another single. All the sudden the score was 4-0, and though the teams would slog away for more than three hours, the Mariners got so far behind early that whatever they did later didn’t really matter.