SEATTLE_First there was the injury to Seattle Mariners starter James Paxton, who left Thursday's game in the seventh inning with a left pectoral strain.
Then there was the comeback _ a spirited late-game rally capped by a game-tying home run from Nelson Cruz in the eighth inning.
Finally there was the end: A two-out, three-run double from Angels superstar Mike Trout that once and for all buried the Mariners, 6-3.
Let's start with that decisive ninth inning.
After the Mariners (59-57) scored three runs to tie the score, closer Edwin Diaz came on to hold the line. Diaz was just presented his American League reliever of the month award in a ceremony before the game, and he had been fantastic of late: In his last 18 games, his ERA was 1.45. He had walked only eight batters.
But on Thursday in the ninth inning, Diaz couldn't find the strike zone and walked the first two batters he faced. He settled down a bit, getting an out on a failed sacrifice bunt and another on a ground out.
But with two outs, Diaz made a big mistake: He walked Angels leadoff man Cameron Maybin to load the bases and bring up Trout, arguably the game's best player.
Trout made Diaz pay and drove in three runs with a double that just stayed fair. Diaz hadn't allowed a run in his last six outings.
It washed away what had been a thrilling comeback to get to that point.
The Mariners had little to show offensively through seven innings. But Jean Segura led off the eighth inning with a solo home run to cut the Angels' lead to 3-1.
Two outs later in the inning, Robinson Cano slashed a double to extend the inning. That brought up Cruz, who has demolished baseballs of late.
Cruz did that once again, crushing a two-out, two-run homer that tied the score at 3-3.
It was Cruz's 27th home run this season and his seventh in his last 10 games. But it wasn't the start of a comeback. It was the end of one.
