Mariners on brink of elimination after shutout loss to Astros

The Mariners jogged on to the manicured emerald grass of T-Mobile Park early Tuesday evening knowing that a loss didn’t really work into the equation for a miracle finish to their otherwise disappointing season. 

“We have a lot in front of us and our backs are to the wall a little bit,” manager Dan Wilson said hours before the first pitch.

And then his team went out and failed to score a run in nine innings of baseball.

For fans who believe the Mariners are just playing out the string even though they are still somehow mathematically alive for the American League West title, their uninspired performance in a 7-0 loss to the Astros did little to change that perception.

It was the 15th time they’ve been held scoreless in a game this season. It is the third most in franchise history, tying multiple seasons.

And yet, the Mariners still aren’t officially done. With the Rangers losing to the Mets on Tuesday, Seattle’s tragic number to elimination is 1.

So either a Texas win or a Mariners loss will finally put to rest what so many felt was a reality weeks or months ago.

The division is just a muddled mess of mediocrity. The Rangers and Astros are now tied with 78-79 records. Texas holds the tiebreaker. But the pillow fight between the teams from the Lone Star State could continue to the very end.

The Mariners have not been an offensive juggernaut this season. But they were somehow shut out by the Astros even with starter Cristian Javier exiting his outing after two innings due to groin tightness. A parade of four different relievers — most of them middling — combined for the Astros 10th shutout of the season. 

“It’s what we’ve talked about over the course of the year,” Wilson said. “Runners in scoring positions been an issue, and we just haven’t been able to convert a lot of times when we have traffic.”

Making his 31st start of the season, Logan Gilbert struggled to limit contact and keep runners off base. Over four innings of work, he allowed 10 hits and walked two batters while allowing four runs.

“There were some good pitches, some bad ones, but either way, they found a way to hit it,” Gilbert said. “It felt like they were just putting the bat on it, finding a way. I’ve just got to do a better job getting them maybe under the zone and some swings there.”

His third pitch of the game — a 1-1 slider — was turned into a single by Jeremy Peña. It was the first of three consecutive singles by the Astros to start the game. 

While Houston got a run out of the early barrage, Gilbert managed to work out of the inning despite walking Jose Altuve to load the bases with no outs. He struck out Yainer Diaz and got Christian Walker and Taylor Trammell to fly out to end the 28-pitch frame. 

“Ideally, you get out of that, reset and then find a way,” Gilbert said. “But they just kept getting traffic on.”

Gilbert couldn’t stymie that constant traffic on the bases. In the third inning, he allowed an infield single to Altuve and crisp single to center to Diaz to bring Walker to the plate. 

It prompted a brief visit from catcher Cal Raleigh, who wanted Gilbert to make sure he wasn’t getting off line.

“He was saying that I was looking side to side and usually I’m at my best when I’m over the top,” Gilbert said of his delivery and arm angle.

Gilbert missed badly with a first-pitch slider. He went back to the pitch again, but left it in the middle of the plate. Walker pulled it over the left-field wall for his 26th homer of the season and a 4-0 lead. 

“It should’ve been a little more outside,” Gilbert said. “Not a great spot.”

Gilbert’s next turn in the rotation will come Sunday in the season finale vs. the Angels. 

Will he take the ball for the 32nd time this season?

“I plan on it,” Gilbert said.

In 2024 with the Mariners eliminated, Gilbert started the final game of the season. His mindset is simple.

“I mean, that’s my job,” Gilbert said. “I love pitching. It’s gonna be taken away one day, so I want to. If I can have the ball, I want it. Also there’s fans showing up that pay hard-earned money to watch us play, regardless of the situation. So I owe it to them, the organization and everybody. But honestly, I just love pitching. I want the ball.”

The Astros picked up a run off Jose A. Ferrer in the sixth on Isaac Paredes’ solo blast. Yordan Álvarez added to his monster numbers this season, blasting a two-run homer off Carlos Vargas in the eighth. It was his 41st homer of the season.

BOX SCORE