Mariners struggle against deGrom in 3-1 loss

SEATTLE (AP) -- Erasmo Ramirez was pleased with effort in his return from the minor leagues. Now, he'd like a win.

Ramirez struck out 10 in seven innings, but the Seattle Mariners had little success against Jacob deGrom and the New York Mets in a 3-1 loss Tuesday night.

"I got to the seventh with no more than two runs," Ramirez said. "I hate to lose but I'll take it. That's baseball."

Ramirez (1-5) allowed five hits and walked two but lost his fifth straight decision. He has not won since April 1. Over his previous four starts - all no-decisions - Ramirez had a 0.90 ERA with 14 strikeouts and 16 walks.

"He did a very nice job, gave us the opportunity to win the ballgame," Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said. "He saved our bullpen. He did a tremendous job. I'm very pleased."

After the game, Ramirez was sent back to Triple-A Tacoma for the fifth time this season to make room for Wednesday's starter, Taijuan Walker.

Ramirez said: "Not everything good is going to happen. You have to be positive all the time."

DeGrom (4-5) allowed five hits and one run over his seven innings. He walked just one and struck out seven.

Over his last six starts, deGrom is 4-1 with a 1.59 ERA. Even more impressive, he's 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA over his past three, walking three and striking out 26.

"I'm telling you this guy, he's going to figure it out and he's going to be a tough guy to deal with," Mets manager Terry Collins said.

Travis d'Arnaud drove in a run with a gift triple off Ramirez and scored on Ruben Tejada's soft single in the second inning to help New York end a three-game skid.

Lucas Duda hit his 15th home run, a 446-foot drive off the second deck scoreboard in right field in the eighth.

Jeurys Familia worked an easy eighth and Jenrry Mejia picked up the save - his 12th in 14 chances.

Endy Chavez led off the bottom of the first with a single. After an out, deGrom struck out Robinson Cano, the league's second leading hitter, in a nine-pitch at-bat.

"He was fouling off a lot of pitches," deGrom said. "Then it got to 3-2 and I wanted to throw the changeup. That's what d'Arnaud put down. That made me feel a little bit better about throwing it. It was a good one and he swung through it.

"Warming up, it (changeup) was really good. With a lot of lefties in the lineup, it was a good night to have my changeup being really good," deGrom said.

Bobby Abreu opened the second with a single to left. Then d'Arnaud stroked a sinking line drive to center. James Jones tracked it awkwardly, sliding to stop it but the ball skipped past him for a RBI triple.

"I didn't extend my hand the way I should have," Jones said. "It was early in the game and I'll be aggressive. I felt I had a better chance sliding. That's what my body told me."

McClendon, asked if the slide was a good gamble, said, "probably not. He's going to make some mistakes on the aggressive side. He will learn from them and get better."

With one out in the fifth, Willie Bloomquist broke through with a single to right. Dustin Ackley then doubled into the right-center gap, scoring Bloomquist.

Ackley advanced to third when Daniel Murphy's relay to the plate sailed past the catcher but Ackley was left stranded.

Ackley, who was 2 for 3, is hitting .377 in July after hitting just .214 in the first three months of the season.

Ramirez went seven innings, allowing two runs on five hits. He walked two and matched his career high with 10 strikeouts. He also hit two batters. It is his fifth straight loss. He has not won since April 1.

Over his previous four starts - all no-decisions - Ramirez had a 0.90 ERA with 14 strikeouts and 16 walks.

NOTES: Walker was sent to Tacoma just before the All-Star break with an emphasis on working on his control. "I think he's better," McClendon said. "He has worked out some things down there, from a mechanical standpoint." Another top prospect, LHP James Paxton, had a second rehab start for Tacoma Tuesday. He likely will get one more before a decision will be made on his status. ... The Mariners, 53-47, have not had better than a .500 record after 100 games since they were 52-48 in 2009. . Chavez is 12 for 27 (.444) leading off. ... Mets LHP Scott Rice, who made the big league roster last season after 14 years in the minors, will have elbow surgery Wednesday in New York to remove bone spurs in his left elbow. "For Scott, he's got to be very disappointed," manager Terry Collins said. "He spent 15 years in the minor leagues, finally get to the bigs, have success then have it squashed like he has." ... Bartolo Colon, the Mets starter Wednesday, is 12-1 with a 2.10 ERA at Safeco Field.

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