SEATTLE _ The inconsistency, inexperience and incessant turnover of relievers within the Seattle Mariners bullpen always meant that yielding runs was something more than a possibility.
But with the Mariners' borrowed strategy of using an "opener" for the starting rotation turns of veteran left-hander Tommy Milone and Wade LeBlanc, it now means the bullpen can affect the game's outcome in the first inning as well as the late innings.
And both came to pass Monday in a 6-4 defeat against Kansas City at T-Mobile Park in front of a crowd of 14,476, which was larger than expected for two last-place teams in their respective divisions as Seattle wasted a perfect opportunity to win back-to-back games for the first time since April 26.
A Mariners' reliever gave up two runs in the first inning to put the team in an immediate hole. Two Mariners relievers gave up a combined three runs in the final two innings to lose a lead and make a comeback impossible.
And the guy scheduled to start, Milone, well, he was the only pitcher to take the mound for the Mariners who actually pitched an inning without allowing a run. In fact, he had five scoreless frames on the night, pitching 6 1/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits with no walks and six strikeouts.
The Mariners' broke their string of relievers making a start as an opener and either tossing a scoreless frame or allowing three runs in the first inning. Rookie right-hander Tayler Scott instead was charged with two runs in two-thirds of an inning.
Scott gave up a lead-off single to Whit Merrifield and then quickly retired the next two batters. But he could never record that third out. He walked Jorge Soler and then gave up a broken-bat bloop single into shallow right field to Cheslor Cuthbert that allowed a run to score.
Seattle manager Scott Servais called on Milone to end the threat. Milone gave up a run-scoring single to Jorge Bonifacio and then struck out Nicky Lopez to end the inning.
So, in six starts using an "opener" reliever, three have allowed three runs, two have been scoreless and one has allowed two runs. Seattle is 2-4 in those games, winning the two games in which it had a scoreless first inning. Unfortunately, the runs count just as much in the first inning as the eighth and ninth.
Down 2-0, the Mariners cut the lead in half in the fourth inning. Tom Murphy led off with a single and later scored on Dee Gordon's fielder's choice.
Seattle grabbed a 4-2 lead in the fifth when Murphy smashed a three-run homer into the mass of un-watching fans known as The 'Pen. It was his eighth homer of the season. By comparison, Mariners backup catchers hit three homers all of last season.
Milone allowed his lone run in the seventh. Bonifcaio led off with a double and later scored on a sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 4-3.
Anthony Bass entered in the eighth and recorded two quick outs for Seattle. But he gave up a single to Alex Gordon and then watched in agony as Soler clubbed a two-run homer deep into the seats in right-center to turn Seattle's one-run lead into a 5-4 deficit.
Just to make any sort of comeback a little more difficult, Gerson Bautista allowed a solo homer to Bonifacio in the ninth.
The Mariners did manage to put the game-tying run on base in the ninth when pinch hitter Omar Narvaez singled and Royals closer Ian Kennedy hit Mallex Smith with a pitch. But Kennedy came back to strike out J.P. Crawford swinging and Domingo Santana looking on a questionable third-strike call from umpire Chris Guccione. Pinch hitter Tim Beckham popped out to end the game.
