The Seattle Mariners inexplicably lost again on Saturday night, falling 6-2 against the woeful Athletics at T-Mobile Park.

The A's, who are 57-86, have now taken the first three games of the four-game set from the Mariners, essentially taking a harpoon to the team's very fleeting playoff hopes.

The Mariners are now 66-77, 11 games under .500 for the first time since 2020. They are arguably the most disappointing team in baseball, and if they aren't the most disappointing, then they are right up there with the New York Mets.

If you go to any corner of Mariners social media, the team has been roasted for its play for months by fans, but on Saturday, it was also roasted for its behavior.

As told by Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, no Mariners hitters were available after the game for interviews. Each of them had left the clubhouse by the time the media got in there. This after a performance in which the M's were two-hit over seven innings by Jeffrey Springs, the worst pitcher in the American League.

For a fanbase calling for accountability from the organization, this wasn't that.

In fairness, since I wasn't there personally, I offer up this logistical understanding of how things work.

About 10 minutes after the game is over, the media gathers in the interview room and waits to talk with both the starting pitcher and manager. In this case, that's George Kirby, and of course, Dan Wilson. So, with the 10 minutes between the final pitch and the interview session starting, and another 15 minutes or so in the interview room, there is generally about 25 minutes from the time the final pitch is thrown until the media is able to break off and go back into the clubhouse to talk to additional players.

That's certainly enough time for players to get ready and leave the facility, and it happens on the road a great deal as players hurry to hit the team bus. 

My question would be, in this case, was that 25-minute window extended even further? Did it take longer than usual for Kirby or Wilson to come out? Were the interviews longer than they typically are, taking up more time? If so, that provides another reason as to why more hitters could have left the clubhouse.

But that's a Devils advocate point of view, and I offer it up in fairness only.

Update: Based on multiple accounts, it does appear that the postgame interviews took longer than usual to occur, giving players more time to leave.

In general, even with some added time, that's a very poor look for 13 position players who took the field on Saturday night. Yes, the season is frustrating. Yes, talking to the media after losses isn't fun. Yes, it's embarrassing to be in the position the team is in.

It's also part of the job, and several of these players are compensated very well to execute all parts of the job. They didn't execute a critical part of that job on Saturday, and that's not even taking into account what happened on the field.

I'll be honest, most of the season, I've defended the Mariners against allegations that they "quit," or "don't care." I just haven't believed that. I still see the work being put in behind the scenes, and I see the drive to be great in several players. Not playing well and not trying hard are too different things.

That said, Saturday night looked like a team that had packed it in. Not every single player has packed it in, but collectively, the group looked like they had waved the white flag.

And back on Aug. 12, I asked Buster Olney of ESPN about the sign of a clubhouse that's quit, and here was the answer on 'Refuse to Lose Territory.'

Seems appropriate now.

The Mariners will finish out this series with the Athletics on Sunday at 1:10 p.m. PT.