Oh .500, how we hardly knew ye …

Coming off of Friday’s impressive win, I actually allowed myself to have some high hopes.  Ariel Miranda on Saturday, James Paxton on Sunday:  our two best pitchers going up against what should be an uninspiring Blue Jays lineup.

So, yeah, of course the Mariners lost both games.  Of course.  Of.  Course.

For the second consecutive start since coming off the DL, Paxton stunk.  Last time, it didn’t really matter, because the Mariners put up 12 runs, so it was okay for Paxton to leave after five, giving up the 3 runs.  But, yesterday he went 4, giving up 4, and didn’t really look all that sharp ever.  This is somewhat understandable, considering how long he was on the shelf, but the Mariners are going to need him to return to form pretty soon here.

A couple of roster moves made their impressions felt in this one.  For starters, Mitch Haniger returned from the DL (forcing Boog Powell back down to Tacoma).  Haniger went 0 for 4 with a walk, but he got his hacks in there, and hopefully he’ll also quickly return to form.

Following Paxton’s brief outing, we saw the return of Emilio Pagan, who was brought back up in favor of Tyler Cloyd.  Pagan went 4 innings of his own, giving up 0 runs, 0 hits, and walking just 1.  This is on the heels of his last Major League appearance, where he also went 4 shutout innings of relief.  Here’s to hoping he doesn’t get immediately rewarded with a Tacoma demotion, because he’s seriously looking like a guy we can count upon in this role going forward.

As for the offense, what can you say?  0 for 10 with RISP.  J.A. Happ got to be everything he WASN’T when he was in a Mariners uniform, again.  And Josh Donaldson got to make us his bitch.

The Blue Jays dominated the crowds this weekend just like they dominated this series.  I’m glad we don’t have to play them again for the rest of the season.

The Mariners hit the road with a 4-spot in Minnesota starting tonight.  Then, it’s on to Texas this weekend, before it’s right back here again, where hopefully the stands will have more Mariners fans than not.