The Mariners dropped game two of their series against the Dodgers 4-2 on Wednesday, and man, this one was tough to swallow. Our lineup was pretty much silent for eight innings, barely scratching across a run in the eighth and another in the ninth. The Dodgers just put relentless pressure on our guys, especially on the mound and with our defense, and it showed on the scoreboard. It feels like we’re losing “another one of these,” you know?
Pressure Cooker: Dodgers Offense and Defensive Lapses
The Dodgers offense was just on another level, applying constant pressure on our pitching and, frankly, exposing some weaknesses in our defense. Right off the bat in the bottom of the first, Andy Pages crushed a sweeper and launched it into the left field seats for a homer. While our pitcher managed to strike out three batters in that inning, including Shohei Ohtani, that early damage set a tone that was hard to shake. Things got worse in the third: a couple of singles put runners on the corners, and then a squibbed ball led to the Dodgers scoring a second run. Our defense tried to make a play, but the ball ended up crossing the plate. It was a tough break, but also a moment that shows you just can’t give an inch.
Then came the fourth inning. Mookie Betts singled to lead off, and Teoscar Hernandez followed with a double to right center. This is where it really stung: **Julio Rodriguez** was out there, and he’s made plays like that before, but he seemed to pull up a bit while checking the fence and let the ball drop. It felt like a missed opportunity that just compounded the pressure. To make matters worse, they intentionally walked Ohtani to load the bases, and the Dodgers punched across another run, making it 3-0. The bullpen mostly held its own after that, but even they couldn’t escape untouched. Michael Rucker eventually gave up a single and an RBI double to Ohtani, pushing their lead to a commanding 4-0. Talk about a gut punch.
Bats Go Cold: One Hit in Six Innings?!
On the offensive side, it was a frustrating night to say the least. Our bats were ice cold against Dodgers’ lefty Eric Lauer. This guy absolutely stifled us, giving up just one hit and one walk through six whole innings. One hit, folks! You can’t win games like that, especially against a team of the Dodgers’ caliber. We finally got our second hit in the eighth, a double, and for a fleeting moment, it looked like we might have another one with a hard liner deep to left. But credit where credit’s due: Teoscar Hernandez made an insane, awkward leap into the chainlink fence, snagging the ball right off the top of the wall. That play just perfectly summed up our night. We did manage to break the shutout right after that with a single, getting our first run on the board. Even though **Cal Raleigh** had a moment when Ohtani checked on him after a foul ball in the third, that was about as close as we got to any drama on our side of the score sheet for most of the game.
This kind of performance is just not good enough. We’ve got to find a way to get the bats going earlier and tighten up the defense. It’s frustrating, but we know what this team is capable of. Game three is a chance to salvage something from this series in LA. Let’s go, Mariners! We need to come home with a win!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Lookout Landing.
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