The Seattle Mariners’ recent slide took another painful turn Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, but this time the team could not blame its offense for the defeat.
Seattle’s bats finally showed signs of life, producing five runs and launching three home runs, yet the Mariners still fell 10-5 to the New York Yankees. The loss extended Seattle’s losing streak to six games and dropped the club to 56-65, a season-low nine games below .500.
The defeat also highlighted a different problem for Seattle. After the offense had carried much of the blame during the team’s recent struggles, it was the pitching staff—particularly the bullpen—that ultimately allowed another winnable game to slip away.
The Mariners came out aggressively against Yankees starter Will Warren. Randy Arozarena opened the scoring with a two-run home run in the first inning, sending a pitch over the right-field wall. Julio Rodríguez followed with a solo blast two batters later, giving Seattle a 3-0 advantage.
It was a notable moment for the Mariners, who had not previously hit multiple home runs in the first inning during the 2026 season.
Seattle continued to apply pressure in the third inning when Dominic Canzone launched a solo homer, extending the lead to 4-1. The Yankees gradually chipped away at the deficit against Bryce Miller, but Seattle regained some breathing room in the fifth when Josh Naylor delivered an RBI single to make it 5-3.
For much of the night, the Mariners appeared capable of ending their losing streak.
Manager Dan Wilson was encouraged by the early offensive production, particularly the way Arozarena and Rodríguez attacked the ball and drove it to the opposite field. Seattle also managed to capitalize on additional scoring opportunities and maintain its advantage for several innings.
But the Yankees refused to go away.
Miller completed six innings, but his inability to finish innings became a major issue. New York repeatedly made him work after he appeared to be on the verge of escaping trouble.
The Yankees pulled within one run in the fifth when Trent Grisham hit a solo home run. Spencer Jones then doubled, allowing Ben Rice to score and tying the game at 5-5.
Miller’s recent struggles have become increasingly concerning. Once viewed as one of the more reliable pieces of Seattle’s rotation, the right-hander has struggled to consistently finish innings and execute key pitches.
Over his previous six starts, Miller has surrendered 25 runs, 22 of them earned, across 32⅓ innings. That stretch has produced a 6.12 ERA, while he has also allowed seven home runs.
Miller acknowledged that his biggest problem has been failing to make the necessary pitches with two outs, particularly when he gets ahead in the count.
Against New York, several of the runs he allowed came after he appeared to have nearly escaped the inning. The Yankees repeatedly punished mistakes late in innings, preventing Miller from turning promising situations into clean shutdown frames.
With the score tied entering the seventh, Seattle’s bullpen was unable to stop the Yankees from taking control.
Left-hander Gabe Speier entered the game and quickly found himself in trouble. George Lombard Jr. scored the go-ahead run on a Trent Grisham double, and Grisham later crossed home plate on a Ben Rice single.
The Yankees then added another run when Rice scored on a bases-loaded walk issued to Jazz Chisholm Jr., pushing New York’s advantage to 8-5.
New York delivered the final blow in the eighth inning when Grisham crushed a two-run home run off right-hander Nick Davila, turning the game into a five-run Yankees victory.
For Wilson, the loss underscored how urgently Seattle needs to find answers.
The Mariners are now 4½ games behind the Texas Rangers for the American League’s final Wild Card position, leaving the club with little room for error. With the regular season moving quickly toward its conclusion, another prolonged losing streak could severely damage Seattle’s postseason hopes.
The encouraging part of Wednesday’s defeat was that the offense finally produced. Arozarena, Rodríguez and Canzone all homered, while Seattle scored five runs and repeatedly put pressure on New York.
The troubling part is that the pitching could not protect the lead.
Seattle now faces the challenge of correcting its problems quickly. Whether that means changing roles, adjusting the pitching approach or simply finding a way to execute in critical situations, Wilson knows the Mariners cannot continue waiting for things to improve on their own.
With the playoffs still within reach but slipping further away, Seattle has reached a critical point in its season. The Mariners must find a solution—and they need to find it soon.
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