For 18-straight innings, Mariners pitchers had shutout out the Giants. Apparently, San Fransisco was simply saving their energy for a one-inning stretch.
Nursing a 1-0 lead going into the top of the eighth, reliever Mark Lowe gave up five runs, all with two outs in the inning, as the Mariners lost 5-1 tonight at Safeco Field.
Mariners hitters got on base, earning 10 hits on the night, but failed to connect with runners in scoring position.
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Seattle's only score came in the bottom of the third when outfielder Franklin Gutierrez scored on an Adrian Beltre groundout to the shortstop.
Outfielder Ichiro Suzuki advanced to third on the play, but with two outs, Ken Griffey Jr. lined out to center field.
The Giants' scores came off a Juan Uribe double with the bases loaded, scoring all three base runners. On the next at-bat, Fred Lewis homered.
San Fransisco loaded the bases again, before Seattle finally got out of the inning when Denny Stark struck out Rich Aurilia, who was pinch hitting.
The Mariners are now 20-24 after failing to string together two victories for the first time since April 25.
The lone bright spot was Garrett Olson, making his second start on the season. He pitched six shutout innings with four hits and four strikeouts.
It's the second-straight solid performance from a Mariners starter who did not begin the season in the rotation. Yesterday, Jason Vargus gave up just one run in seven innings.
Lowe, who entered the game with 3.38 ERA, left it with a 5.32 ERA. Olson's performance brought his own ERA up from a 5.27 to a 3.66. Olson's previous start came in a 5-3 loss to the Red Soc on May 17. He gave up five runs in six innings that day.
Reach Jeff Richards at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
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