Not only did the patches fail to hold Tuesday for the Mariners; the wheels came off in absorbing a 20-7 payback thumping from the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.
Veteran right-hander Christian Bergman, generally solid through six previous starts, imploded after making a crucial mental error in a four-run second inning and failed to survive the third.
Long reliever Casey Lawrence, recalled Monday in the bullpen’s revolving carousel, had a pitched well in four previous hold-them outings. He had a chance to keep the Mariners in striking range against a shaky Kyle Gibson.
But Lawrence surrendered homers to the first two hitters he faced, which added three more runs and turned the climb from a hill into a mountain.