Diamondbacks swept by Mariners rather easily

Despite it being a celebratory weekend, the Diamondbacks had nothing to celebrate following this series

The Diamondbacks celebrated the 20th anniversary of the 2001 World Series Champions team this past weekend. They wore their throwback jerseys, had giveaways, fireworks, and more. Yet, the team on the field didn’t play at all like that 01′ team.

The Mariners had their way in most of the games. Of course, the Mariners are much better than the Dbacks this year. After all, that’s why they are fighting for a wildcard spot. Unlike the Dbacks who are fighting for the number 1 pick.

The Dbacks had some good moments in each game, but the common denominator was the bullpen failing to do anything to help the team win.

Seattle Mariners: 6 Arizona Dbacks: 5

Madison Bumgarner started this game and he struggled. He later said that he couldn’t get a grip on the ball. That’s rather concerning as to if he is injured or if something was wrong with the baseball. He gave up 2 home runs, 1 to former Dback Mitch Haniger, and 5 earned runs in total. He also walked 5 while striking out 5.

Taylor Clarke gave up yet another run out of the bullpen in the 10th to give the Mariners the win. I still don’t understand how he is pitching in the MLB still. Surely, we have someone better in Triple-AAA.

Meanwhile, the offense had some sparks. Christian Walker and Andrew Young both had doubles. Nick Ahmed had a triple. He also drove in two runs. It was a rather solid effort from the offense except that they couldn’t hit with runners in scoring position like in the 10th.

Seattle Mariners: 8 Arizona Diamondbacks 5

Ah, the celebration day. This game started off rather miserably as Humberto Castellanos gave up a 3-run moonshot to Kyle Seager in the top of the 1st. However, Carson Kelly hit a 2-run homer in the bottom of the first. Then, Stuart Fairchild had a 2-run double to give the Dbacks the lead in the bottom of the 1st.

Humberto settled down and proceeded to keep the Mariners off the board until the 4th when he departed with 2 runners on base. Caleb Smith allowed those runners to come in. The Dbacks fought back though with Ketel homering to tie it up. Caleb Smith hit a double but got thrown out at third by trying to make it a triple.

Next, tragedy struck as Caleb left a pitch in the middle of the plate to Kyle Seager. Seager deposited that ball into the pool to put the Dbacks down 3 for good. The Mariners bullpen sealed the deal to finish off the Dbacks and get the series win.

Seattle Mariners: 10 Arizona Dbacks: 4

Don’t let the final score fool you, this game was close. It was until the Dbacks and Torey Lovullo thought it a smart idea to put Taylor Clarke into the game. Nonetheless, this was Tyler Gilbert’s start and he did rather well. He pitched 7 innings of only 3-run ball. He kept the Mariners in check.

One has to applaud Tyler for how deep he pitched and for providing stability to the rotation.

The Dbacks stayed with the Mariners too by scoring 3 runs in the 6th. That was due to David Peralta’s home run and Pavin Smith’s RBI double. The bullpen kept them in the game until the 10th too.

That’s when Clarke entered the game. 4 runs, 2 walks, and a hit later, he left the game with the Dbacks down 7-3. Next, Sean Poppen came in and gave up 3 more runs to make it 10-3. It was an absolute disaster and embarrassment. It’s the worst extra-innings loss in the team’s history. Send both those pitchers to the Minors now!

There were some positives as Ketel Marte drove in another run. Also, Henry Ramos had just gotten called up to the MLB after an 11-year stint in the minors. He got his first MLB hit when he pinch-hit for Tyler Gilbert.

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Well, at least that series is over. The Dbacks stay home to take on the Rangers for a quick two-game series on Tuesday. After that series, it’s off to Seattle to face the Mariners once again. Here’s hoping the two teams can have opposite results this time around.

Hope you have/had a wonderful Labor Day and thank you for all you do to help the workforce of America.

As Always,

May the Force be with You…