Eight encouraging things about last night’s Mariners loss

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 28: Julio Rodríguez #44 of the Seattle Mariners reacts after hitting a single to score Cole Young #2 of the Seattle Mariners to tie the game during the ninth inning at T-Mobile Park on March 28, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images Having had a while to process last night’s 6-5 loss against the Guardians, I have determined that as far as losses go, I’m pretty okay with this one. Yes, there were incredibly frustrating things: the bullpen coughing up a key run after some questionable decisions, the utter lack of hitting with runners in scoring position, the double-digit strikeouts.

But there were enough positives to take away to leave me about as encouraged as one can be about a loss. One: Bryan Woo looked unhittable for five innings Woo’s postgame interview was agonizing as he shouldered the blame for the loss after giving up [checks notes] two runs over six innings. Yes, the command faltered in the sixth, but Woo’s performance up to that point was dominant.

The Guardians came in with a plan to be aggressive against him and Woo pounded the zone anyway, forcing the Guardians into quick, weak-contact outs. He also racked up nine strikeouts, 15 whiffs, and hit a career milestone of four hundred strikeouts en route to re-establishing himself as the ace of the rotation. Two: Randy keeps getting on base Randy Arozarena’s ice-cold challenge in the second inning that resulted in a walk was one of my favorite moments from yesterday’s game.

Randy will get his hacks in, make no mistake about it, but he is running an extremely hilarious (to me) 7. 7% strikeout rate vs. a 31% BB rate over these first three games.