CHICAGO — Two years ago, the Mariners would have found a way to win Sunday’s game through luck or skill or some weird combination of both. A year ago, that Mariners would’ve prevailed due to flawless execution in the game’s critical moments.
The current version of the Mariners has yet to show the resilience to win the kind of games that drove past teams to success.
Nico Hoerner’s soft line drive dropped into the right-field grass of Wrigley Field, scoring pinch runner Nick Madrigal from third base and giving the Cubs a 3-2 victory in the bottom of the 10th.
The Cubs only needed one run for the win because the Mariners couldn’t get a sacrifice bunt down in the top of the 10th or push one across despite having the bases loaded with one out.
The loss took some of the luster off what could’ve been a seminal moment for outfielder Jarred Kelenic.
With the Mariners down to their final outs in the ninth inning and trending toward a 2-1 loss, Kelenic continued his run of baseball redemption.
Facing Cubs closer Michael Fulmer in the bottom of the ninth, Kelenic made a meal of a 1-0 breaking ball in the middle of the plate, unleashing a swing full of controlled violence on the mistake. It was a no-doubt solo homer. The only question would be how far it would travel. The ball’s flight path was interrupted by the top of the massive scoreboard well behind the right field wall.
Drew Smyly, a sort of former Mariner who never actually pitched for the organization, pitched five innings, allowing one run on two hits with a walk and seven strikeouts. A collection of Cubs relievers kept the Mariners scoreless before Kelenic’s blast.
Seattle got a solid — if not dominant — start from Luis Castillo. In his third outing of the season, he worked six innings, allowing two runs on two hits with two walks and six strikeouts.
The Cubs got both of their runs off Castillo in the bottom of the fourth inning after the Mariners had given him a 1-0 lead in the top of the inning on A.J. Pollock’s sacrifice fly to left field.
Castillo made the costly mistake of walking Ian Happ to start the fourth inning. His teammates made it worse when Happ tried to steal second. Tom Murphy’s throw was well to the right of second. Staying close to the bag, hoping to make a tag, J.P. Crawford couldn’t catch the offline throw. It allowed Happ to race to third.
It snowballed from there. Cody Bellinger ripped a double to the gap in right-center to score Happ to make it 1-0. Sam Haggerty couldn’t make a diving catch on Trey Mancini’s soft liner to right field and Eric Hosmer drove in the second run on a single to left field.
Castillo had yet to record an out.
But he came ack to strike out Patrick Wisdom and Sam Haggerty was able to turn an unassisted inning-ending double play, gloving the sinking liner off the bat of Yan Gomes and hustling to second to double off the runner.
