CHICAGO — The Mariners’ pitching bent and bent and finally broke Monday, allowing five runs in the seventh inning and losing 5-1 to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
The late offensive explosion from the Cubs spoiled a quality start from Mariners starter Justus Sheffield, who struck out seven over five innings of work — both career highs for the 23 year old pitcher who’s a major part of general manager Jerry Dipoto’s “step-back” plan. The Mariners fell to 58-81 on the season with the loss.
Sheffield allowed batters to reach scoring position in each of the five innings he pitched but escaped cleanly each time.