It’s the moment where the Mariners refused to use injuries or any other sort of excuse for their showings. Regardless of who was missing or who was being forced to play in their absence, the idea of being shut out on back-to-back days at the hitters’ paradise that is Fenway Park was something so implausible that it left the team to question itself and its motivation moving forward.
In the cramped visitor’s clubhouse at Fenway — the size of a small yet overpriced studio apartment in Seattle — the always upbeat Nelson Cruz couldn’t force a smile after a 6-0 loss on May 27.