Final score: Orioles 9, Mariners 2

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the latest trend in Major League Baseball is transforming harmless teams like the Athletics and Orioles into actual playoff contenders. No, really. It’s a thing. And the Mariners are the latest team to buy into it.

Tonight, Baltimore polished off the series with a 9-2 win on the back of Steve Johnson’s 9-strikeout performance. The Mariners did their best to play along, going 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, and waiting until the 6th inning to put up their only two runs of the night on a Kyle Seager home run.

Kevin Millwood completed his worst outing in recent memory, serving up 8 hits, 7 runs, a walk, and 3 strikeouts in 4 IP. Barring injury, it is his briefest start since a 5-inning, 7-run meltdown against the Royals this June.

The bullpen was of little help, but since I’ve highlighted enough of the Mariners’ failures tonight, let’s focus on the positives. Carter Capps made his second major league appearance for Seattle, with 2 hits and 2 strikeouts in 2 IP. Oliver Perez and Tom Wilhelmsen effectively took care of the 9th, striking out one of six Orioles.

Tomorrow, the Mariners take a much-needed break to regroup before facing the Angels and Albert Pujols for a weekend series. After the week they’ve had, I hope the only thing they take away from Baltimore is a little of that postseason luck.

Next game: @ Angels | August 10 | 7:05pm