ANAHEIM -- The whiteboard logic that went viral was sound, and technically, it played out as the Mariners intended.
Because the only ball hit in Jo Adell’s direction on Sunday was a sky-high blast that sailed way over his head -- a three-run homer from Cole Young that was way beyond the Angels right fielder’s territory, after he pulled off a hat trick of robberies the night prior.
It was also the latest eye-opening moment for Young, the 22-year-old second baseman who’s turning his season’s strong start into a longer-term conversation of how high he can raise his floor.
Yet, instead of Young’s go-ahead blast in the fifth inning serving as a rebound from Seattle’s sting the night prior, Sunday’s recap after an 8-7 loss in the 11th inning was one of more frustration -- and this time, mostly of the Mariners’ own doing.
Swinging at too many pitches against a debuting starter who couldn’t find the strike zone. Multiple outs on the basepaths. Defensive lapses that directly led to runs. A hit-by-pitch to Mike Trout that forced the three-time AL MVP to exit and left him upset about it.
Even after all that, Seattle was still in the driver’s seat when the game reached extra innings -- but couldn’t shut the door.
“We've just got to keep rolling, keep pushing,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “I know offensively, they're making their adjustments. They're doing what they need to do. And we've just got to keep drawing that traffic and start getting them in.”
The game ended on a wide throw from Randy Arozarena at the plate attempting to nab Adam Frazier when tagging on a sacrifice fly. At 269 feet, it was deep enough to where any play was going to be close. But Arozarena’s 90.7 mph heave landed near the exterior of the dirt behind the plate and didn’t give Cal Raleigh wiggle room to make the tag.
But that was just the bookend to a frustrating day in the field.
Arozarena also had a ball get by him on a dive attempt in the fifth that turned a would-be single from Jeimer Candelario into a double had he kept it in front of him. In the very next at-bat, a laser from Adell -- also to Arozarena -- allowed Candelario to score standing.
Later that inning, Leo Rivas had a 96.4 mph chopper go by him against Frazier, while playing in on the grass in an effort to prevent a squeeze. But there were also two outs.
All of a sudden, Young’s go-ahead homer the half-inning prior was erased, and the Mariners were trailing again.
“Those things are going to happen in the course of the game,” Wilson said. “And like I said, we came back from those and battled back into it.”
Those moments came after the fourth, when Rivas had a 90.5 mph chopper from Zach Neto kick off him for an error, then shortstop J.P. Crawford sailed a high throw to Josh Naylor at first base for the would-be third out. Both plays led to runs, and the baserunners that scored were via a hit-by-pitch and walk from Luis Castillo, who lasted just 3 2/3 innings.
That said, the Mariners did tie the game in the ninth when down to their final strike.
Julio Rodríguez yanked a broken-bat single into left field that sent Raleigh off to the races, immediately after Raleigh legged out a hustle double on a blooper down the left-field line. Rodríguez was then thrown out when overshooting the bag on a steal attempt for the third out.
It proved mostly inconsequential, given that the Angels wound up re-tying the game in the bottom of the inning anyway. But it was their second out on the basepaths, after Rivas was picked off in the sixth.
“We know who we are,” Rodriguez said. “And sometimes, it can be early on and you're kind of finding your rhythm in the season. But like, we know who we are. We're a great defensive team, offensive team, and we pitch well. We're going to give trouble to anybody. And I just feel like, just sometimes, it takes time to allow all the pitches to show.”
Some of Sunday’s lapses could be attributed to guys out position (Rivas filling in for Brendan Donovan) or getting their feet under them (Crawford was just activated from the IL). But for a team that prides itself on doing all the little things right, those were mostly elusive in a series loss.