To vamp on a Canadian poet-philosopher, they were a club, the M’s were a cod, can I be any more obvious? The Seattle Mariners were trounced today in Philadelphia by the Phillies by an unrepresentatively-tight 12-7 final. It held enough promise to maintain for just longer than seemed likely, but the ultimate drubbing was a brutal continuation of last night’s unseemly showing by George Kirby in Williamsport.
Logan Gilbert, often stalwart but still struggling at times to put hitters away swiftly in 2025,
has looked like his rookie and second season self often this year. Foul balls with two strikes have upped his pitch counts and put him into inefficient situations that have limited him from the ace-like tendencies he’d displayed by the home stretch of 2024. Tonight, it might’ve been Logan Evans on the mound, or perhaps Logan Morrison would’ve fared better. The potent collection of veterans in Philly’s lineup bounced Gilbert around like an unassuming supportive father accidentally drifting into their first mosh pit. Despite a scoreless first inning, the second frame unraveled with five straight hits, two homers, and a dejected Gilbert exiting after just two frames with a 6-0 hole.
Were you a reader of unusual gumption and potency of belief, you might draw displeasure in the fact that six is less than seven, a final sum Seattle managed to muster. I appreciate you, gumptious reader. Never let them take your gump. In this particular case, however, your gump will be derided, as I assure you at no moment did this feel proximate in that way.
The lone pitcher to emerge light on blemishes for the evening was Carlos Vargas, who wove three scoreless innings in relief on a night that could’ve easily seen a position player take the hill. It mattered, inasmuch as any moment this evening did past the second inning, as the seventh inning saw a glimmer of hope. Cole Young clobbered a three run homer off deteriorating Canadian pencil pouch Jordan Romano. Casey Legumina, however, may be unable to make his flight home to Seattle as he’ll still be sorting through the toll charges on the Pennsylvania Turnpike from the homers he yielded to Bryce Harper. The lead swelled back to 11-4, such that a ninth inning of relative competence could not counterbalance the weight placed upon their backs.
This is Seattle’s hardest remaining road trip. It’s one that preseason looked like an absolute monster, and despite Baltimore’s collapse, remains brutal. It would be ideal for the M’s to take the final two, of course, but surviving this final pair with one of the juggernauts of the National League will have to suffice. Ideally, survival looks a bit more vital than today’s possum play.
