Mariners Struggle in Tough Loss to Rays 
Fellow Mariners fans, it was a rough outing against the Tampa Bay Rays today, with our team falling 3-11. Despite a few shining moments, the Rays' offense was simply too overwhelming.
Game Highlights and Early Troubles
The game started with a quiet top of the 1st for us. J.P. Crawford flied out, Julio Rodríguez struck out, and although Cal Raleigh got a single, Luke Raley ended the inning by lining out. The Rays quickly took advantage, with Yandy Diaz homering to left, putting them up 1-0. Our defense held after that, but it set the tone for what was to come.
Fighting Back in the 5th 
By the 5th inning, we were down 2-0, and things looked bleak. However, Jorge Polanco sparked some hope with an infield single. That’s when Ty France brought a smile to every Mariners fan, belting a 427-foot homer to tie the game at 2-2! For a moment, it felt like we were right back in it.
Rays Pull Away 
The bottom of the 6th inning proved challenging. Taylor Walls hit a triple, bringing home two runs, followed by Ben Rortvedt with a homer, pushing their lead to 6-2. Our bullpen shuffled with Baumann and Bazardo, but the damage was done.
Silver Linings 
We did see a ray of sunshine in the top of the 7th when Mitch Garver homered to left, narrowing the gap to 6-3. Unfortunately, that was our last scoring play as the Rays continued to pile on, making it 11-3 by the end.
End Note
It's never easy to see our Mariners struggle, but every game is a chance for growth. Shoutout to Ty France and Mitch Garver for their homers and Cal Raleigh for starting strong. We’ll regroup and come out stronger next game, no doubt.
Let’s keep our heads up, M’s fans! Tomorrow is another day.
Go Mariners!
Scoreboard for Mariners @ Rays (June 25th, 2024)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 0 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 2 |