Here are three quick thoughts from the Mariners’ 8-2 loss Sunday to the Astros:
1. This was a big series for the Mariners, and they ended it with only one win.
Baseball players don’t often put much emphasis on an individual game or series because the season is too long. They can’t afford to think that way. But after Friday night’s blowout win against the Astros, multiple Mariners’ players, including Felix Hernandez and Jarrod Dyson, said this series against first-place Houston was big because the Astros have been so good and have such a big lead in the division.