The Seattle Mariners came crashing back down to earth on Wednesday, suffering a 6-1 defeat at the hands of the Chicago White Sox. Just one day after an explosive 12-run performance, the bats went quiet and the pitching staff was burned by the long ball, surrendering three home runs in a frustrating loss.
The trouble started early for starter Luis Castillo. After a leadoff single to Sam Antonacci on a 95 mph fastball that caught too much of the plate, Castillo found himself in a jam. He was one strike away from escaping the inning unscathed when Colton Montgomery turned on a fastball in his wheelhouse, sending it just 367 feet over the right-field fence for a two-run homer. The White Sox never looked back.
Meanwhile, the Mariners offense was completely baffled by White Sox starter Anthony Kay and his devastating changeup. Kay struck out three batters on the pitch in the first two innings alone, mixing in soft stuff that kept Seattle hitters off balance. The Mariners managed to generate a small rally in the third inning, putting two runners on base without a hit, but couldn't capitalize on the free passes.
Castillo's struggles continued in the bottom of the third. After grazing Antonacci with a pitch in a two-strike count, he served Miguel Vargas a first-pitch sinker right down the middle. Vargas made him pay, launching it to center field for another two-run homer. Castillo eventually settled down, limiting the damage to those two big swings, though he got some help from a nice defensive play by Cole Young.
The Mariners finally got on the board in the fifth inning, and fittingly, they did it without a hit. Mitch Garver led off with a walk, and Young reached on a fielding error by Munetaka Murakami. Leo Rivas sacrificed both runners into scoring position, and Rob Refsnyder delivered a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 4-1. Cal Raleigh battled Kay for seven pitches but ultimately went down looking at a sinker that painted the outside corner.
The White Sox answered immediately. With two outs, Vargas won an 11-pitch battle against reliever Josh Simpson, crushing yet another sinker that caught too much plate for his second home run of the game. Sinkers, as they say, are stinkers.
From there, both teams turned to their bullpens, with the Mariners relying on their secondary arms to keep the game within reach. But the damage was done, and Seattle couldn't muster another rally, dropping the series finale in disappointing fashion.