The Mariners are officially losers in 2026.
Logan Gilbert was pretty good, but the offense was nonexistent, and the Mariners lost 2-1 in Anaheim on Tuesday. It was the 82nd loss of the season, meaning they will officially post a losing record for the first time since 2020.
Logan Gilbert got the ball. He embarrassed Zach Neto to begin the game, getting a nasty whiff on a splitter below the zone that dropped Neto to his knees for a K.
Gilbert had good velocity and sharp stuff in this one. He picked up
seven strikeouts on 18 whiffs. He worked around a bit of traffic early but got through four innings scoreless. It didn’t quite unravel for Gilbert from there, but the Angels eventually figured him out on the third pass through the lineup. In the fifth inning, Wade Meckler roped a single up the middle and scored on a double from Vaughn Grissom. In the sixth, Josh Lowe turned on a two-strike splitter that caught too much of the zone and zipped it over the fence. Those were the only two runs Gilbert allowed.
It just so happened they were the only two runs the Angels would need. The Mariners picked up just seven hits and no walks. Their only run came on a triple from Dom Canzone that Mike Trout misplayed in center, followed by a sharp double into the gap from Julio. It wasn’t the worst display at the plate this year, but only because of the competition.
I don’t know how much else there is to say. Seranthony Domínguez was fine in an inning of work, as was Gabe Speier. Taylor Saucedo pitched for the Angels, and that was fun to see him again. Cal Raleigh wore a chest protector with Roberto Clemente on it, and several players wore 21 in his honor. Honestly, as far as losses go, this one wasn’t so bad, and made me nostalgic for the losses in the early part of the season, when the misery was simple and brief.
The Mariners with the loss dropped the series to the Angels. There was a time this would have been an unthinkable result in the final stretch, much like dropping consecutive series to the A’s earlier in the month. But the Mariners entered the week as the very worst team in the majors by WAR since the All-Star break, nearly 4 WAR behind the Angels in 26th. It would have been something of an upset had they gone into The Big A and taken the series. One could even argue the Mariners are underdogs in the upcoming trip to Colorado, though I’ll be kind and call it a push.
Regardless, the Mariners easy September schedule looked like a gift in the preseason, something that could propel them to an impressive win total and a second consecutive division title. Instead, it’s served to underscore just how bad this team has been over the final few months. Tuesday’s loss was all but a formality, to stamp a losing record on the 2026 season. All that’s left is the end.
