By Ryan Divish
The Seattle Times
SAN DIEGO — This series was supposed to give the Mariners a chance to pick up a pair of wins over a bad team and gain a little ground, or at least keep pace in the race for the second spot in the American League wild card.
That didn’t happen.
The four-game series starting Thursday against Oakland was supposed to be a chance for the Mariners to significantly narrow the gap against the A’s, the team they are trailing for that elusive playoff spot.
But the way they are playing, that doesn’t seem like it will happen.
Given what’s transpired the past two days at Petco Park, where Seattle was swept in the two-game series by the San Diego Padres — a team with 83 losses — there is little reason to believe the Mariners can somehow slow or shift their current fortunes, which are trending toward failure and another missed postseason.
The two-game set vs. the Padres was that bad. The word putrid comes to mind.
After at least looking competent in a one-run loss on Tuesday, the Mariners slogged their way through a noncompetitive 8-3 defeat on an otherwise gorgeous Wednesday afternoon.
The Mariners got some help from the Astros, who defeated the A’s on a walk-off homer from Tyler White. The A’s lead over the Mariners remained at 5 1/2 games instead of growing.
Starter Erasmo Ramirez gave the Mariners an awful outing, basically ending their chances at victory by the third inning. And the Mariners offense, which is supposedly capable of scoring runs in bunches, mustered one run against light-tossing lefty Joey Lucchesi and a couple meaningless runs late against the Padres bullpen.
The Mariners were held to four runs over 18 innings by two rookie starters and a pieced-together bullpen. That’s not exactly ideal or inspiring.
Much of the blame could fall on Ramirez, who had pitched relatively well in his previous three outings since coming off the disabled list. But his command and efficiency with his sinker was nonexistent.
The Mariners gave him a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on Robinson Cano’s RBI single. But Ramirez gave the run back and more, allowing two runs in the first on a run-scoring single from Eric Hosmer and a sacrifice fly from Hunter Renfroe. The Padres picked up another run in the second on Manuel Margot’s solo homer to left. San Diego broke the game open in the third. All nine players came to the plate, six of them notched hits and four runs scored. Renfroe smashed a three-run homer into the upper deck of left field.
Ramirez didn’t return for the fourth inning. He allowed seven runs on nine hits with a walk and two strikeouts.
Ramirez’s replacement, Roenis Elias, pitched reasonably well in five innings of mop-up duty, allowing one run on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
While the Mariners once overcame a 12-2 deficit in this park, there were no such miracles Wednesday. Lucchesi pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing the one run on six hits with two walks and nine strikeouts — including three of Kyle Seager.
Perhaps more impressive was that Lucchesi was struck in the groin and protective cup by a line drive off the bat of Ryon Healy in the fourth inning and remained in the game, striking out the next five batters he faced.
The Mariners other two runs came in the eighth inning on an RBI single from Nelson Cruz and an RBI double from Seager. But it mattered little.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mariners: LHP James Paxton, on the disabled list with a bruised left forearm, is expected to return to the rotation Saturday at Oakland. He was struck by a line drive by Jed Lowrie at Oakland on Aug. 14.
UP NEXT
Mariners: LHP Wade LeBlanc (7-3, 3.92) is scheduled to start the opener of a four-game series Thursday night at Oakland, which is second in the AL West behind Houston. The Mariners remain in third place.
Padres: Rookie LHP Eric Lauer (5-7, 5.30) is scheduled to start the opener of a four-game home series against the Colorado Rockies, who counter with German Marquez (11-9, 4.21).
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