CHICAGO -- Logan Gilbert is no stranger to great outings. But the right-hander’s six-inning gem on Sunday was his best so far this season.
Gilbert struck out nine and allowed just one hit in his first scoreless outing of the year, but even that wasn’t enough in the Mariners’ 2-1 loss to the White Sox in the rubber match at Rate Field.
The righty set down his final 16 batters in a row and faced just one over the minimum to notch his third quality start of the season, but Chicago scratched two runs off reliever Eduard Bazardo to solidify an all-too-familiar game for the Mariners this season.
“I feel like that’s a game we probably look back on and think we should win, but that’s baseball,” Gilbert said.
It’s an unfortunate trend Seattle has been unable to shake this season. It was just last Saturday the Mariners lost a similar game against Kansas City after giving up two runs in the final two frames after a historic 14-strikeout performance from Emerson Hancock.
Bazardo, who has been one of the club’s most reliable arms this season, didn’t have his best day, but it was the offense that let Gilbert and the bullpen down.
The Mariners finished 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, leaving nine on base. Randy Arozarena was also caught stealing after reaching base to begin the fourth inning. Despite a leadoff double by Connor Joe in the seventh and loading the bases with just one out in the ninth, Seattle was unable to capitalize.
“I think we had chances to add on throughout the game, and we just weren’t able to convert it today,” manager Dan Wilson said. “That hurts you in these close ballgames. That was the difference today.”
The loss dropped the Mariners to 19-22 on the season, despite leading the league in innings pitched by starters (235). Gilbert did his job, though, needing just 87 pitches to carve through Chicago’s lineup.
Gilbert threw first-pitch strikes to 14 of the 19 batters he faced, inducing more called strikes (18) than whiffs (13) as he kept Chicago’s batters guessing with his six-pitch mix.
“You want them to be aggressive,” Gilbert said. “You want them to be in swing mode. We talk all the time about first-pitch strikes and what that does for the options in your arsenal, also just getting in good counts. We did a pretty good job at that for the most part today.”
After missing three games this past week with side soreness, catcher Cal Raleigh was behind the dish for the second time this series as he works back towards normalcy. His bat, now in a 0-for-32 slump, is taking more time to get going than he wants, but Raleigh’s knowledge with the starters pays dividends.
“I know those guys like to make their adjustments on the fly, and they feel off each other, they read off each other and it’s good communication between innings,” Wilson said of the battery. “I just like the way they attacked today. … He’s got the great arsenal, it’s just finding the spots to use it all, and he was able to do that.”
However, it was already the seventh time this season the Mariners have lost when the opponent has scored three runs or fewer. Only the Mets (8) and Giants (8) have more losses of that variety. Leadoff hitter Brendan Donovan returned to the lineup on Friday, but he was 0-for-5 in the finale. Outside of a two-out RBI knock by Arozarena in the first inning, the big hit was elusive.
Gilbert may have been able to go another inning, considering he will have an extra off-day with the temporary six-man rotation coming up, but Wilson opted to hand it to the ’pen. José A. Ferrer loaded the bases before escaping the seventh, and Bazardo, whether Gilbert pitched the seventh or not, was likely the man for the eighth. It just didn't work out Sunday.
So far, that’s been the case too many times in 2026. Seattle was a win away from the World Series a year ago, and that has carried lofty expectations from both the fanbase and players inside the clubhouse. It hasn’t turned in the right direction yet, but the club hasn’t lost any belief.
“We just have to start playing more consistent baseball,” said Bryan Woo. “I think our good will be as good as anyone's in the league. But just have to raise the floor of what our standards are each day.
“Just because you make it one year doesn’t mean you’re just gonna automatically be in contention the next year. You have to earn that privilege. But it’s the right group. Everyone’s got the right mindset. No one is taking it for granted.”