3 Up, 1 Down: Robbie Ray Shines, But Mariners Held to One Hit in Rubber Match Loss to Red Sox

Robbie Ray threw 7.0 scoreless innings with a heavy emphasis on his revived two-seam fastball, but the Mariners were shut out with just one hit to their credit in a 2-0 loss to the Red Sox on Sunday. Ty Dane Gonzalez goes over Seattle's best and worst performances in the defeat.

The Mariners' streak of four consecutive series victories has been snapped following a 2-0 loss to the Red Sox on Sunday. 

It was a sluggish and uneventful affair that mercifully ended just under the three-hour mark. But if not for one of the most absurd home runs you'll ever see by Boston third baseman Rafael Devers, the two clubs may still be going at it. Neither team showed much of an ability to get on the scoreboard over the course of the afternoon.

That especially rung true for Seattle's offense, despite its favorable matchup on paper. Boston starter Kutter Crawford entered the day sporting a combined 7.88 ERA in 24 innings between Triple-A and the major league level, but he was nearly untouchable in his second career start on Sunday. The appropriately named Crawford made great use of an effective cutter, which induced eight of his game-high 13 swings and misses, as he held the Mariners to just one hit—their only hit of the game—with seven strikeouts and four walks in 5.0 innings pitched.

Those struggles continued well after Crawford exited, resulting in Seattle's seventh shutout loss of the season and its first since May 17 in Toronto. But the woeful performance wasn't entirely a byproduct of lifeless bats; all five of the balls hit over 100 MPH in the game belonged to Mariners hitters. Four, however, resulted in outs and not without some spectacular defensive plays by the Red Sox. 

So it goes.

The Mariners will now turn their attention to the visiting Twins, who come to T-Mobile Park for a three-game set leading the American League Central by 3.0 games. But before we look ahead to Monday night's series opener, let's review Sunday's action and go over the best and worst performances from Seattle's loss.

This, like the game itself, should be a quick one.

3 Up

LHP Robbie Ray

Making Seattle's offensive showing all the more disappointing, Ray gave his best performance of the year thus far. It was bumpy at times, but the veteran lefty completed 7.0 scoreless innings while holding Boston to just three hits, a walk and a hit by pitch. Most notably, he was able to pitch out of a couple tight spots, thanks in part to the two-seam fastball he reintroduced during his last start in Houston. On 45 pitches, the offering generated 27 strikes, eight called strikes, four swings and misses and five groundball outs, including a crucial inning-ending double play, and the Red Sox only got one hit off of it. It's still early to say for sure, but it looks as if Ray has found himself a new weapon. That could be a game-changer for the 30-year old, who entered Sunday's game scuffling in his AL Cy Young defense. 

RHP Sergio Romo

Handling the ninth inning, Romo posted his third scoreless outing in a row on Sunday, retiring the side in order on 13 total pitches. He's bounced back well after giving up seven runs on four homers in back-to-back appearances during Seattle's last road trip. 

C Luis Torrens

Although he finished the day with just a single to his credit, it's clear Torrens' bat is starting to heat up. He's now 6 for his last 15 and hit two balls over 100 MPH on Sunday. Something to keep an eye on. 

1 Down

The Mariners' offense

We typically go over three "downs" in this exercise, but only one will be necessary in this particular instance. While there were certainly a few individual performances deserving of criticism, Seattle's offense gets the nod here after mustering just one hit as a whole. That simply cannot happen, especially with a series on the line. The first three hitters in the Mariners' order—comprised of Jesse Winker, Ty France and Julio Rodríguez—went a combined 0 for 10 with six strikeouts and a pair of walks. That should paint a good enough picture of how the day went.