SEATTLE — Just as the Seattle Mariners were finally starting to build some momentum — in the standings over the past two weeks, and at the plate late Friday — they quickly snapped back to reality at the worst possible moment.
It was, specifically, the snap of Ty France’s bat that punctuated the Mariners’ frustration of a 5-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers to open the second half of the season before a crowd of 39,014 at T-Mobile Park.
Called out on a borderline pitch to end the fifth inning, leaving the bases loaded, France raised his bat above his head and slammed it to the ground with both hands.
The bat cracked. The crowd jeered. And home-plate umpire Marvin Hudson promptly ejected France after the Mariners first baseman followed up with an angry toss of his helmet.
The loss soured the start of a critical 10-game homestand for the Mariners, who slumped back to .500 at 45-45 as they try to make headway in a tight American League playoff chase. And this is the time for them to do it, against the likes of the Tigers (40-50) and Twins (45-46) at home, with a little more than two weeks until the Aug. 1 trade deadline.
Pinch-hitter Mike Ford hit a no-doubt home run to right field with one out in the ninth inning off Detroit’s Alex Lange, cutting the Mariners’ deficit to 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth.
After pinch-hitter Kolten Wong grounded out sharply to first, Dylan Moore drew a two-out walk to bring up the top of the Seattle lineup.
J.P. Crawford then worked a five-pitch walk, bringing Julio Rodriguez to the plate, 72 hours after he came up in almost the same situation, on the same field, with the American League trailing by one run in the MLB All-Star Game.
On Tuesday, Julio drew a patient walk.
On Friday night, with the crowd on its feet chanting his name, Julio was caught looking at a 1-2 curveball from Lange on the inner half for strike three, ending the game.
In the fifth inning, France had a right to be upset at the strike-three call: The 94-mph sinker from Detroit starter Eduardo Rodriguez, upon second glance, was indeed an inch or two inside.
Didn’t matter. France’s night was done, and so too was the Mariners’ last-best chance to overcome an early 3-0 deficit.
Moore, with the bases loaded, had delivered the one big hit the Mariners had been waiting for, just missing a grand slam — by just a few inches — off the top of the wall in left field. He settled for a two-run double. That cut the Mariners’ deficit to 3-2, still with only one out and two runners in scoring position in the fifth.
With the infield drawn in, Crawford followed with a ground ball to the right side. Tigers second baseman Nick Maton made a diving stop to his left to make the out at first, while AJ Pollock, the runner at third, notably did not attempt to run home, instead electing to play it safe and stay at third.
With first base open, Eduardo Rodriguez predictably pitched around Julio Rodriguez, who drew a five-pitch walk to load the bases for France in the game’s biggest spot.
France worked a 2-2 count before the controversial strike-three call.
Eduardo Rodriguez had shut down the Mariners for the first four innings, retiring the first 10 batters he faced.
Julio Rodriguez, on his first regular-season swing since his dynamic performance in the Home Run Derby here Monday, nearly hit one out to deep right-center — only to watch as Detroit center fielder Matt Vierling leapt and robbed him directly in front of the “J-Rod Squad” section of fans.
Julio’s 110-mph single in the fourth was the Mariners’ first base runner of the game.
Mariners ace Luis Castillo wasn’t particularly sharp, surrendering three runs in five innings. He really only threw two bad pitches — a 3-2 changeup (down and in) that Kerry Carpenter pulled over the fence in right field for a two-run homer in the first inning, and a 2-2 changeup (down and in) that Akil Baddoo pulled over the fence in right field.
Detroit scored two more runs in the seventh inning after an error on Moore, who replaced France at first base. The next batter, Maton, followed with a two-run home run off rookie reliever Ty Adcock, the first runs he’s allowed in 10 appearances to start his major-league career.
The Mariners tried to rally in the eighth.
Julio Rodriguez reached on an infield single and scored — narrowly — on a Jarred Kelenic double to left-center. Initially ruled out at the plate, Julio was safe after the play was overturned upon review. That cut the Mariners’ deficit to 5-3.
Julio was shaken up on the play, but he slowly walked back to the dugout on his own and returned to play center field in the top of the ninth.
With Kelenic at third, and one out, Detroit’s Jason Foley struck out Teoscar Hernandez and Eugenio Suarez to end the threat.
