By Ryan Divish
The Seattle Times
DENVER — This is how it’s going for the Mariners as they limp to the All-Star break looking like a team that’s gassed and in need of something different from another game with mediocre pitching and hide-and-seek hitting.
A day after watching their best starting pitcher leave the game with an injury in the first inning, the Mariners’ best setup man — lefty James Pazos — failed in a situation that seemed perfect for his success thanks to a pair of lucky base hits, triggering a four-run fifth inning.
Suddenly, a one-run deficit turned into another multiple-run defeat.
Sure, the Rockies made full usage of Coors Field on a shirt-soaking hot Friday night in their 10-7 defeat of the Mariners. Much like they did at Safeco Field — a supposed pitcher-friendly park — a week ago, Colorado hitters bashed around Seattle pitchers for most of the night.
Seattle has now lost six of its past nine games, falling to 58-37. Manager Scott Servais’ hope of finishing strong before the All-Star break is wilting in the July heat.
The game’s direction veered into unwinnable for the Mariners in the fifth inning. With one out and Carlos Gonzalez coming to the plate, Servais pulled starter Christian Bergman and opted to go to Pazos, who came into the game sporting a 1.72 earned-run average. Pazos got the soft contact he wanted from Gonzalez. A sinking 93-mph fastball low in the zone resulted in a weak ground ball off the cap of Gonzalez’s bat.
Unfortunately, it was too weak. The ball rolled just to the third-base side of the pitcher’s mound. Pazos couldn’t make a play. He came back to get the ultrahot Trevor Story to fly out.
But with two outs, Gerardo Parra somehow fought off an inside fastball without shattering his bat, sending a soft ground ball that trickled through the left side for an RBI single and a 5-3 lead. From there Pazos allowed an RBI single to Ian Desmond and another two-run single to Tony Wolters to make it 8-3.
Mike Morin replaced Pazos in the sixth inning, giving up two runs that made it 10-3.
When the Mariners made their run of wins early in the season, the bullpen kept them in games and made rallies possible. That simply hasn’t happened of late. And with an unpredictable offense that’s capable of scoring seven but just as ready to score two, that’s not going to yield success.
In the seventh inning, a pair of walks got things going for Seattle. Kyle Seager singled to center to score a run, Denard Span tripled to the gap in right-center to score two runs and Ben Gamel’s infield single plated Span to make it 10-7. The Mariners had Nelson Cruz on deck in the pitcher’s spot to do some damage as a pinch-hitter, but catcher Chris Herrmann struck out to end the inning. Cruz never got an at-bat on the night.
The Mariners would get no closer.
Adam Ottavino worked a dominant eighth for Colorado and Wade Davis notched his 26th save of the season.
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