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The San Francisco Giants were unable to get the job done against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, falling 6-3 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
The Giants started the series and the second half of the 2026 Major League Baseball season strong with a 7-0 win over the Mariners, but lost the next two games to drop the three-game set.
Sunday’s contest started out in the Giants’ favor thanks to a solo home run by Bryce Eldrige in the first and an RBI single by Heliot Ramos later in the inning to give San Francisco a 2-0 advantage. It was a quick statement for the Giants, who already had nearly as many runs in one frame as they did in all of Saturday’s 4-3 loss that went 10 innings.
For a team that ranks 26th in runs (408) and RBIs (392), immediate, productive offense was a welcoming sign. The Giants had an opportunity to win a road series and open the second phase of a season that had not been kind to them on a positive note, and the first inning was a step in the right direction.
However, things eventually unraveled.
In the first, second and third innings, the Giants got to enjoy their lead. Left-hander Robbie Ray had a cushion to lean on, and while he was not perfect, he was able to keep the Mariners at bay.
Then, the fourth inning happened.
An RBI single by Josh Naylor got Seattle on the scoreboard, and Ray had a chance to get out of the inning with the Giants’ lead intact, but a two-out RBI single by Weston Wilson tied the game after Naylor stole second base.
Perhaps if Naylor had not been allowed to steal, the momentum shift wouldn’t have been as dramatic. Regardless of the hypotheticals, the Giants found themselves in a tie, and the majority of the crowd was not there to help them recover that momentum.
Despite a lead that vanished rapidly, San Francisco had another answer. After Willy Adames drew a leadoff walk, Luis Arraez demonstrated why he recently earned his fourth All-Star selection.
With two outs, Arraez hit an RBI double to left field that scored Adames and put San Francisco back on top. It was Arraez’s 22nd double of the year, and it came at the perfect time.
The Giants enjoyed a lead yet again, but trouble on the mound was quickly approaching.
After Ray allowed consecutive singles to open the bottom of the fifth, manager Tony Vitello was compelled to make a choice, and he chose to go to his bullpen.
Vitello called on Sam Hentges to replace Ray, and he did his job as well as he could by making Cal Raleigh hit into a double play and forcing Naylor to line out. The problem was that Raleigh’s double play also got a run across home plate for the Mariners.
A tie game meant that the Mariners had shifted the rope back to their side in the proverbial tug of war for momentum, and it didn’t take long for them to rip it out of the Giants’ hands completely.
After San Francisco’s hitters went down in order during the top of the sixth inning, Vitello went back to his bullpen again, this time for Adrian Houser.
It was a decision that backfired quickly.
Houser’s first season in San Francisco has been ugly, and Vitello paid for his decision to send him out in relief when Houser allowed home runs in the sixth and seventh that provided a 6-3 lead for Seattle. Houser was left on the mound to finish the game, but it did not matter in the end.
Now at 42-57, the Giants are set to visit the Kansas City Royals on Monday for a three-game series.
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The Giants started the series and the second half of the 2026 Major League Baseball season strong with a 7-0 win over the Mariners, but lost the next two games to drop the three-game set.
The right start
Sunday’s contest started out in the Giants’ favor thanks to a solo home run by Bryce Eldrige in the first and an RBI single by Heliot Ramos later in the inning to give San Francisco a 2-0 advantage. It was a quick statement for the Giants, who already had nearly as many runs in one frame as they did in all of Saturday’s 4-3 loss that went 10 innings.
For a team that ranks 26th in runs (408) and RBIs (392), immediate, productive offense was a welcoming sign. The Giants had an opportunity to win a road series and open the second phase of a season that had not been kind to them on a positive note, and the first inning was a step in the right direction.
However, things eventually unraveled.
Seattle hits back
In the first, second and third innings, the Giants got to enjoy their lead. Left-hander Robbie Ray had a cushion to lean on, and while he was not perfect, he was able to keep the Mariners at bay.
Then, the fourth inning happened.
An RBI single by Josh Naylor got Seattle on the scoreboard, and Ray had a chance to get out of the inning with the Giants’ lead intact, but a two-out RBI single by Weston Wilson tied the game after Naylor stole second base.
Perhaps if Naylor had not been allowed to steal, the momentum shift wouldn’t have been as dramatic. Regardless of the hypotheticals, the Giants found themselves in a tie, and the majority of the crowd was not there to help them recover that momentum.
A quick response
Despite a lead that vanished rapidly, San Francisco had another answer. After Willy Adames drew a leadoff walk, Luis Arraez demonstrated why he recently earned his fourth All-Star selection.
With two outs, Arraez hit an RBI double to left field that scored Adames and put San Francisco back on top. It was Arraez’s 22nd double of the year, and it came at the perfect time.
The Giants enjoyed a lead yet again, but trouble on the mound was quickly approaching.
The fatal blows
After Ray allowed consecutive singles to open the bottom of the fifth, manager Tony Vitello was compelled to make a choice, and he chose to go to his bullpen.
Vitello called on Sam Hentges to replace Ray, and he did his job as well as he could by making Cal Raleigh hit into a double play and forcing Naylor to line out. The problem was that Raleigh’s double play also got a run across home plate for the Mariners.
A tie game meant that the Mariners had shifted the rope back to their side in the proverbial tug of war for momentum, and it didn’t take long for them to rip it out of the Giants’ hands completely.
After San Francisco’s hitters went down in order during the top of the sixth inning, Vitello went back to his bullpen again, this time for Adrian Houser.
It was a decision that backfired quickly.
Houser’s first season in San Francisco has been ugly, and Vitello paid for his decision to send him out in relief when Houser allowed home runs in the sixth and seventh that provided a 6-3 lead for Seattle. Houser was left on the mound to finish the game, but it did not matter in the end.
Now at 42-57, the Giants are set to visit the Kansas City Royals on Monday for a three-game series.
Join the Community
Don’t miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!
It’s completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!
Continue reading...
