Mariners looking ahead after dropping opener to Rays

SEATTLE -- The Mariners hoped a return home would help spark their scuffling offense, and while there was some traction, solo homers from Jesse Winker and Adam Frazier, and an RBI single by Eugenio Suárez were not enough to keep pace with the Rays in a 4-3 loss on Thursday night at T-Mobile Park.

The Mariners had a mini rally brewing in the eighth after J.P. Crawford reached on a walk as the tying run, but he was caught stealing on a pickoff attempt with Julio Rodríguez at the plate to end the inning. They then went 1-2-3 in the ninth.

A mistake pitch from Robbie Ray on a middle-middle fastball to former Mariner and Seattle favorite Mike Zunino led to a three-run homer in the fourth that proved to be the decisive factor. Ray recovered and came one out shy of completing seven innings, with five strikeouts against one walk and six other hits, and the bullpen was scoreless to the finish line.

And though Seattle showed more life at the plate than it did in a three-game sweep in Houston, it wasn’t enough.

“We were hoping to get back on the right side of things tonight, opening up at home after a rough [road trip],” manager Scott Servais said. “But I thought our competitiveness and effort tonight -- and then we hung right in there … we kind of scratched and clawed our way back into it, but just not quite enough.”

The club has now lost eight of its past nine, over which it has scored just 21 runs and slashed .197/.260/.318 (.579 OPS). Offense is down across the Majors, as all 30 teams had a combined .676 OPS entering Thursday, drastically down from .728 in 2021, and the Mariners continue to experience a shortage.

The barometer for Seattle to find success, at least early in 2022, appears to be four runs -- the number they would’ve needed to reach to at least tie Thursday’s game. The Mariners fell to 1-10 when they score three runs or fewer, compared to their 11-4 record when plating four or more.

They’ve also stranded 182 runners, tied for third-most in the Majors, including four on Thursday.

It’s worth noting that the Mariners have run into some stout pitching, including Tampa Bay’s Shane McClanahan on Thursday, who was averaging 97.5 mph on his fastball and topped out at 100.7 mph. They faced Justin Verlander the day prior.

“He's a lefty starter that throws 100, so we'll start there,” said Winker of McClanahan. “And then he was locating, he has good breaking stuff and can pitch both sides of the plate. Special pitcher for sure. But the fact that he throws 98-100 a lot makes it a challenge.”

Despite the shortcomings, Winker’s homer was a welcome sight. It was his first as a Mariner and was, at least the team hopes, a sign of things to come. Winker hit 24 with Cincinnati last year, when he was an All-Star, but he’s off to a slow -- and somewhat unlucky -- start. The 136-point gap between his .322 expected batting average entering Thursday and his actual mark of .186 was the largest in the Majors.

Winker hit in the No. 6 hole on Thursday, his first start this year that he didn’t bat third or cleanup. The Mariners’ primary offseason objective was to add impact offense, and Winker was the headline addition. For them to get to where they want to go, they need him as a consistent run producer.

“I think everything early in the year, everyone seems to magnify it in our game, but it's a long year,” Winker said. “There are five months of baseball left. I think we’re playing just fine. Obviously, you want to win games. But you go through stretches like this as a team and as players and everything, but, for the most part, I feel like we've been in every game. It's all you can really ask for.”

The road won’t get easier for Seattle in the foreseeable future. Following this four-game series against Tampa Bay, the Mariners will host the Phillies then play on the road against the Mets and Blue Jays, three offensive powerhouses.