黑料福利社

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. 鈥� When a team is playing poorly like they have been on this current road trip and underperforming as a whole like the have for much of the season, a lack of effort 鈥� perceived or real, regardless of reason 鈥� is the one intolerable baseball sin.聽

Their failures to hit with runners in scoring position, while frustrating, can still be stomached, albeit begrudgingly when hard hits are somehow caught.聽聽

Some of the misplays made in the field can be understood because even defensive teams commit errors, and the Mariners weren鈥檛 expected to be a good defensive team.聽

Even a mental mistake may happen on a rare occasion 鈥� a brain cramp, a bad read or a poor assumption.聽

But effort? It鈥檚 the one constant that can be controlled and expected.聽

But Friday night鈥檚 7-2 loss to the Rays offered a lasting sequence of the current and a glaring red flag on how this team has performed in an uneven first 鈥渉alf" of the MLB season.聽The loss put them below .500 at 47-48.

With one out in the fifth inning, Luis Castillo was battling with Cedric Mullins after getting up 1-2. His teammates had cut the lead to 2-1 in the top half of the inning on Cole Young鈥檚 solo homer.聽

After Mullins fouled off an elevated fastball, Castillo came back with a low slider. Mullins hit a soft fly ball toward the left field line.聽

It seemed like it would be the second out of the inning.

But it wasn鈥檛.聽

loped over toward the ball, seemingly reading it. But instead, the ball dropped in foul territory about five feet from him.聽

It was a stunning result.聽

Castillo was stunned and then irritated, staring out at Arozarena, who jogged back to his position at a similar pace, never looking at his pitcher.聽

Castillo kept starting at Arozarena.

Irritated, he got back on the mound and fired another slider. The ball stayed in the middle and Mullins ripped it over the wall in right-center.聽

Castillo started directly at Arozarena again.聽

When he retired Chandler Simpson with the help of Cal Raleigh鈥檚 nice play on a bunt attempt, Castillo should鈥檝e been out of the inning.

Instead, the next batter, Victor Mesa Jr., slammed a homer to right field for a 4-1 lead.

When Castillo finished the inning, he went straight up the tunnel and into the clubhouse. His night was over earlier than expected.聽

The Mariners never recovered. Junior Caminero hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning off Jose A. Ferrer to put the game out of reach.聽