PEORIA, Ariz.— Missed opportunities proved costly for the ACL Mariners Wednesday night as they dropped an 8-2 decision to the ACL Padres at the Peoria Sports Complex. Despite the loss, Seattle (32-22) remains a half-game ahead of the ACL Royals for first place in the ACL West.

The Mariners repeatedly put themselves in position to climb back into the game but were unable to deliver the timely hit. Seattle stranded the bases loaded twice, including one final opportunity in the bottom of the ninth, finishing 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position while leaving eight runners on base.

The night also marked the first rehab appearance for Mariners All-Star and Gold Glove infielder Brendan Donovan, who made his first appearance in a Mariners uniform since beginning his rehab assignment. Donovan drew a walk in his debut but struck out three times before being replaced by Dalton Davis for his final plate appearance in the ninth inning.

San Diego broke through in the third inning after a Leandro Romero throwing error extended the inning. Isaac Ponce followed with a single before a sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position. Eddson Martinez lined a two-run single to center, and Jesmaylin Arias added another RBI hit later in the inning as the Padres grabbed a 3-0 advantage.

Seattle answered in the bottom of the fourth. Yorger Bautista worked a walk before Leandro Romero singled with two outs. Kelvin Alcantara then turned on a pitch and launched a two-run homer to right field, his seventh of the season, cutting the deficit to 3-2.

The Mariners threatened to erase the deficit in the fifth. Martin Gonzalez drew a walk and Sebastian De Andrade followed with a single before Donovan earned his lone walk of the evening to load the bases with one out. San Diego escaped the jam by retiring Nick Becker on strikes and Yorger Bautista on a groundout, preserving the one-run lead.

The Padres broke the game open in the sixth inning. Moises Valdez was hit by a pitch before Jesmaylin Arias doubled into the gap. Santiago Vargas followed with a three-run homer to right field, and Arias later scored on another RBI double to extend San Diego’s lead to 7-2. The Padres added one more run later in the inning to make it 8-2.

Ferny Barreda battled through 5.2 innings for Seattle, striking out seven while allowing six runs, four earned. Wuilliams Rodriguez finished the game with 2.2 scoreless innings of relief, recording three strikeouts.

Seattle mounted one final rally in the bottom of the ninth. Alcantara and Diego Contreras each worked walks before Brayden Corn flew out. Martin Gonzalez drew another walk to load the bases, but Sebastian De Andrade struck out swinging, and Dalton Davis, batting for Donovan, fouled out to end the game.

Alcantara finished 1-for-2 with a two-run homer and two walks. Bautista collected his 11th double of the season, while Contreras and De Andrade added the Mariners’ other hits.

Seattle will stay in Peoria on Thursday, July 16, but will move to the Padres side of the Peoria Sports Complex for another single game against the ACL Padres as they look to bounce back.

POSTGAME NOTES

• The Mariners remain a half-game ahead of the ACL Royals for first place in the ACL West.
• Mariners All-Star and Gold Glove infielder Brendan Donovan made his first rehab appearance, drawing one walk and striking out three times.
• Kelvin Alcantara hit his seventh home run of the season and drove in both Seattle runs.
• Ferny Barreda struck out seven over 5.2 innings.
• Wuilliams Rodriguez tossed 2.2 scoreless innings with three strikeouts in relief.
• Seattle stranded the bases loaded twice and finished 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.