The Mariners’ win streak ended at eight.
The defense collapsed all at once Wednesday in the Mariners 4-3 loss to the Orioles. The game started with a 100-minute rain delay. Logan Gilbert pitched well through six but gave up a homer on the first pitch of the seventh. Gabe Speier relieved him and gave up a triple off the wall in right field; Dylan Moore misplayed it, as did Josh Naylor, and the triple turned into a Little League home run. A late effort from a sleepy offense wasn’t enough, and the Mariners lost
on a walkoff double in the bottom of the ninth.
The Mariners’ offense was absent through the early part of the game. They had two singles, no walks and no runs entering the seventh. Julio lead off with a triple, and Naylor followed with a single through the infield to make it 1-0.
It looked like one run was all they might need — a night after winning 1-0 in the series’ opener. Gilbert was efficient through six and held the Orioles scoreless on just 72 pitches. It wasn’t his best start of 2025 (he allowed a 58% hard hit rate), but he was set to make it through seven for the first time since Opening Day. On the first pitch of the seventh, he threw a fastball the middle. Ryan Mountcastle didn’t get all of it, but he got a lot of it, and it skipped off the top of the wall for a home run. The game was tied at 1-1.
Gilbert got the next batter to strikeout, but Coby Mayo followed with a rocket single. Dan Wilson turned to pen, with Gilbert at just 79 pitches.
Speier came in to face a lefty. Instead, he got righty Jeremiah Jackson off the bench (Jackson has struggled in his brief MLB debut). Speier hung a middle-middle slider, and Jackson lobbed it off the wall in right field. Moore charged in too close and watched it bounce back towards the infield. He scampered after it as Mayo rounded the bases. Moore threw it to Naylor, who bounced it several feet in front of home plate — skipping it past Cal Raleigh and into the Mariners’ dugout. Mayo scored from first and Jackson was awarded home. The Orioles took a 3-1 lead.
They wouldn’t score the rest of the inning, but it did get uglier for Moore. The next batter popped one into foul territory in right field — a nearly routine play — and the ball dropped in and out of Moore’s glove. The batter later singled. Moore went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. He made his first start since July 28 and remained hitless since July 8. Victor Robles and Luke Raley each played in Tacoma on Wednesday as they work their way back from injury.
The Mariners nearly figured it out in the top of the ninth. Julio lead off with a rocket single. Eugenio Suárez walked. Then they stole second and third. Julio scored on a groundout from Naylor. Geno scored on a pinch-hit sac fly from Dominic Canzone to make it 3-3. The Mariners finished the day with six hits, one walk and eight strikeouts. It wasn’t enough.
Matt Brash got the first two batters out in the ninth. Then he gave up a single to Dylan Carlson. Then he gave up a double into the right field corner to Jackson Holliday. Moore couldn’t get to the ball fast enough, and Carlson came around for the winning run.
The Mariners spent six weeks clawing back to the top of the AL West. They are now one back with six weeks left to play.
