SEATTLE — From 14 consecutive wins to back-to-back losses, the day-to-day variance of baseball makes the latter so unique and the former typical. Obviously, the Mariners were going to lose a game at some point in the second “half” of the 2022 season and the winning streak would end.
That they’ve lost their first two games to the Astros out of the All-Star break in front of a sold-out crowd on Friday night and 43,197 on Saturday at T-Mobile Park is a disappointing start to be certain.
Playing without Julio Rodriguez for the second straight game due to left wrist soreness, the Mariners, a team with something more than postseason aspirations, faced a playoff-level pitching performance from Astros starter Justin Verlander and couldn’t respond in a 3-1 loss.
