SEATTLE — All the hope they were starting to build with their improved play, all the good feelings they had generated from a strong finish before the All-Star break, all the anticipation for a second-half push for a return to the postseason and perhaps more, well, that was met the with the baseball equivalent of stepping on a rake.
Instead of coming out of the four-day intermission with a strong surge of quality baseball, similar to the level they were playing at in the final 10 games before it, the Seattle Mariners have played like they were on a 40-day hiatus.
For the second straight night at T-Mobile Park, they rolled out an All-Star starting pitcher against a team they should beat — the Detroit Tigers.
