George Kirby got absolutely shelled for four dingers in Monday’s brutal 7-3 loss to the Texas Rangers, and it stings, Seattle. This defeat means our Mariners are now sitting at a rough 52-55 record, falling a painful 2.5 games behind the Rangers in the AL West race. Talk about a gut punch when we needed a win.
Kirby’s Toughest Outing Yet and The Bombs Keep Landing
The Rangers came out swinging, and they just kept hitting. Joc Pederson led the charge, launching two home runs off Kirby in the first two innings, immediately building a 4-1 lead. It felt like the air went right out of T-Mobile Park. Then, in the third, Ezequiel Duran and Jake Burger each went deep, pushing the Rangers even further ahead to a 7-2 advantage. Our guy George Kirby just couldn’t find his rhythm, allowing 7 runs on 7 hits in only 4 innings. That’s the most runs he’s given up all season. His 3 strikeouts tied a season-low, his ERA ballooned from a solid 3.57 to 3.98, and his record dropped to 8-9. We know Kirby’s better than that, but this one was tough to watch.
Trade Talk Distraction? Kirby Says No.
With the Mariners under .500 and fighting to keep pace in the AL West and wild-card races, Kirby’s name has been floating around in trade rumors. When asked if that was messing with his head on the mound, Kirby gave a pretty blunt response to the Seattle Times’ Adam Jude: “I don’t have Twitter, so I don’t see it.” You gotta respect the focus, but you also wish that focus translated into fewer pitches left over the plate. On our side, Julio Rodríguez managed to drive in a run with a sacrifice fly, but it simply wasn’t enough to counter the Rangers’ offensive explosion. Rangers’ pitcher Kumar Rocker, on the other hand, held our boys to just 2 runs and 4 hits over 6 2/3 innings, racking up 7 strikeouts. He’s been hot since mid-July, and we got caught in his good run.
The Climb Gets Steeper, Not Easier
This loss just makes our climb that much tougher. We’re still 2.5 games back in the AL West, and now we’re also two games out of the AL’s third wild-card playoff spot, tangled up in a jumble with the Minnesota Twins, Houston Astros, and Baltimore Orioles. While these aren’t insurmountable deficits, dropping three of four games to the team you’re trying to catch makes that task feel monumental. What’s next for our Emerald City nine? We hit the road to visit the Los Angeles Dodgers, so don’t expect the schedule to give us any breaks. It’s time to dig deep, M’s, because every game from here on out is absolutely crucial.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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