Seattle's pitching problems undercut dramatic comeback

SEATTLE -- It was shaping up to be a “Good Vibes Only” special at T-Mobile Park on Tuesday night, after Eugenio Suárez piggybacked Randy Arozarena’s three-run homer with one of his own in the sixth inning to cap a would-be comeback that seemed improbable in the game’s early stages.

But instead, a 7-6 loss to the Padres offered a blunt reminder to the playoff-hopeful Mariners that they must right the ship with their pitching staff if they hope to steer toward a deep October run.

Suárez’s homer shook the ticketed 35,910 on hand that have been salivating for a return to the postseason after coming oh-so-close in each of the past two years.

Yet San Diego’s immediate response against a taxed Mariners bullpen that’s been hit hard for two weeks -- and the Padres’ push to the finish line from its best-in-the-sport relief corps -- illustrated the potentially tall task in front of Seattle over its final 29 games.

That, and the latest problematic development for Luis Castillo, who put the Mariners in a gaping hole with five runs in the first inning.

“I think these are just moments that happen in the season,” Castillo said through an interpreter. “I mean, when these moments are happening, you kind of just have to accept it, keep your head up high and keep working.”

Castillo experienced a notable dip in velocity for his third straight start, a span over which he’s surrendered 14 earned runs in 13 innings. His four-seam fastball velocity was down 1.5 mph from his season average while his sinker was down 1.2 mph, with his slowest heater of the night clocked at 90.8 mph.

“It's a surprise, a little bit, because I feel healthy,” Castillo said. “My arm feels good. My body feels good. When I go up there, I try to throw as hard as I can. So to me, it's a surprise. Hopefully, it's just part of those bad moments that are going and hopefully, once we get out of this slump, we start seeing an increase in velocity.”

The grand slam that Castillo surrendered to Ramón Laureano was an encapsulation of what some of that lost velocity can cost. The 94.2 mph offering was at the strike zone’s top rail, but not quite as high as he intended. With a few more ticks, it might’ve held enough carry to induce a whiff or at least keep contact in the ballpark.

But it instead wound up being costly for what would take place later.

Castillo’s challenges might’ve fallen to the wayside had Suárez’s go-ahead blast wound up proving decisive. The slugger’s 41st of the year also pushed him to 101 RBIs this season, fourth most in MLB, and secured his fourth season since 2018 in which he’s cleared 100.

Yet a half-inning later, Caleb Ferguson took over for Castillo and surrendered hits to each of his first three batters, leading to the tying run then a successful suicide squeeze by No. 9 hitter Freddy Fermin that put the Padres ahead for good. Mariners manager Dan Wilson then called on Gabe Speier to get out of the jam, his second lefty of the frame.

“That’s sometimes just the way that, as they say, the ball bounces,” Wilson said. “It's kind of a tough one. But again, the bullpen has been so strong. And Fergie just kind of came up on the wrong end of it tonight on a couple of different batted balls.”

The battle of the bullpens was on, and the Padres wielded the heavy upper hand, even after Suárez went deep off Jason Adam, the first of San Diego’s three relief All-Stars that wound up pitching.

After Adam, Adrian Morejon, Mason Miller, Jeremiah Estrada and Robert Suárez shut down Seattle for the final 12 outs, with just two hits and one walk surrendered.

To be sure, the Mariners were within striking distance and put together a few quality at-bats -- Julio Rodríguez reached third base after drawing a walk in the seventh off Miller, and Jorge Polanco tagged up to second base after a leadoff single vs. Estrada in the eighth -- but they were stranded, then Suárez went 1-2-3 in the ninth.

Scoring six runs at home had almost been a guarantee for a Mariners win, as they were 39-2 within that criteria since the start of last season entering Tuesday. But a pitching staff that has a 4.40 ERA since the Trade Deadline illuminated some of their limitations of late.