It’s hard to win games when your starter has to leave midway with an injury. But it’s also hard to win games when your offense strikes out 14 times and miss opportunities when they do have runners on base (0-for-3 with RISP and seven runners left on base). It’s gross that 14 strikeouts feels like an average amount for this team, but it’s also very 2024 Mariners. More concerning: the Mariners took seven walks, which should translate into more runs, but the strikeouts kept getting in the way like a pesky fly.
The 2024 Mariners blueprint has been struggle against starter, wait to pounce on bullpen, and hope their starter can keep them in the game until then.