Braves bats quieted by Mariners in rubber game

SEATTLE — For the first time this season, the Braves lost a series.

The Mariners’ 3-1 win Wednesday at T-Mobile Park sealed that result for the Braves, who had been 10-0-1 in their previous 11 series. The Braves, who fell to 5-1 in rubber games, have the day off Thursday before opening a highly anticipated three-game series against the Dodgers in Los Angeles starting Friday.

For much of the day Wednesday, the Braves were lulled to sleep by Mariners starter Bryan Woo. Over six innings, and while throwing a season-high 98 pitches, Woo (2-2) allowed just one hit — a two-out single to Mauricio Dubón in the fourth — and struck out nine.

The Braves (26-12) did have a bit of a rally in the eighth after a scoreless seventh.

Eduard Bazardo entered the game from the Mariners bullpen in a 2-0 game and was immediately in hot water. Mike Yastrzemski lobbed a soft single into center and then Sean Murphy ripped a single of his own to the gap in right, moving Yastrzemski to third.

Dominic Smith’s sacrifice fly to deep center got the Braves within 2-1.

After pinch-runner Jorge Mateo got himself picked off first for the second out of the inning, Drake Baldwin rolled a single through the middle, but Ozzie Albies struck out to end the threat.

Had Mateo still been on first for Baldwin’s single, the Braves may have made runners at the corners with one out.

“Look, ‘Georgie’s’ been great for us, but he knows that can’t happen,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said.

The Mariners (18-20) quickly got that run back with Cole Young’s two-out RBI double in the eighth off Braves reliever Didier Fuentes. Jose Ferrer pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his second save of the season.

Braves starter Martín Pérez encountered trouble in the third when Jhonny Pereda lined a single into left and Leo Rivas shot a double into the left field corner. A walk to J.P. Crawford loaded the bases for the heart of the Mariners’ lineup.

Cal Raleigh, however, had his one-hop rocket to short picked clean by shortstop Jim Jarvis, called up to the club from Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday, for a 6-4-3 double play. That kept the damage to a single run.

Pérez kept the Mariners quiet until, with one out in the sixth, Julio Rodríguez took a 3-1 changeup down the middle and belted it out to left, giving the Mariners (18-20) a 2-0 lead.

“One hard contact, I think, on that changeup to (Rodríguez), and finally he just wait for that pitch and hit a homer,” Pérez said.

Pérez (2-2) left after getting a pop-up, completing 5⅔ innings, striking out five, walking one, allowing five hits and throwing only 84 pitches.

“I think it was a great game. Everything was working so good today and I’m really happy with that,” Pérez said. “Should have won the game, but that happens. We got a day off (Thursday) and have another really good series and we just gotta go out there and play good baseball, how we’ve been doing, and then win the series.”

The veteran lefty did his job to give his team a chance, but the offense couldn’t pick him up on this day. It was only the fourth time this season the Braves have been held to one run or less.