The run of dominance was going to end at some point. One of the Mariners’ starting pitchers was going to wobble or struggle in an outing because that’s how baseball works.
That it came against the Atlanta Braves — the team with the best record in baseball — who were also trying to avoid being swept in the three-game series at T-Mobile Park wasn’t surprising.
When the Mariners beat the Braves in the first two games of the series, it was the first time this season Atlanta had lost back-to-back games. So losing three straight didn’t seem likely.