SEATTLE — Johnny Cueto did what he could.
It just wasn’t enough against Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert, and the White Sox fell to three games behind the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central standings after a 3-0 loss on Tuesday night.
Gilbert (12-5, 3.23 ERA) was a handful, batting nine and going one over six innings with five hits as Seattle (77-59) leveled the three-game streak that ends Wednesday afternoon.
Cueto fought Gilbert right there, allowing a run spanning more than six innings, his 16th start in six or more innings. Cueto lowered his ERA to 2.87, allowed five hits, three walks, and hit three. It was a 1-0 game until Cal Raleigh’s double homer came in game eight against Reynaldo Lopez with two outs.
The Sox (68-68) were 1-for-7 with runners in goal position and left nine runners on base.
The Mariners got their run in the fourth when Ty led France away with a double, finished third with Mitch Haniger’s fly ball and went home when right fielder Gavin Sheets’ throw for third passed third baseman Yoan Moncada and Cueto’s reach behind left and out of the game by a TV camera.
Moncada tried to make a swipe tag but probably had no game and haphazardly let the ball past him.
Matt Brash, Andres Munoz and Paul Sewald ended in goalless relief as the Mariners (77-59) won after losing a seven-game winning streak on Monday. The Sox lost for the second time in seven games.
Luis Robert was hit in the left hand by a pitch from Gilbert on his first at-bat and left the game after his second at-bat. X-rays were negative, Robert has a bruise and he is back to normal.
Robert is struggling with a sore left wrist which, along with a brief paternity leave, kept him out of the lineup for two weeks. When he took his left hand off the racquet on a swing, it seemed like he was dealing with the same problem, but hitting the pitch only complicated things.
He was replaced by Adam Engel, who led seventh-place against Brash with a single, but was immediately kicked out when he stole for the first out.
Moncada had two singles in his first two at-bats after being left off the injury list.