SEATTLE — Brother…some way this was to celebrate Edgar Martinez’s career.

The Mariners got six strong innings Saturday night from a starting pitcher, prodigal right-hander Erasmo Ramirez, but chose not to push their luck. So they pulled him with a two-run lead.

And then the bullpen, so strong over the last few months, imploded over the next two innings. First Casey Lawrence gave up two runs. Then Tony Zych gave up three more.

The result: The Mariners suffered yet another late-game meltdown in a depressing 6-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels in front of a sellout crowd of 45,388 at Safeco Field.

Many in that crowd came to witness the pregame ceremony in which the Mariners retired Martinez’s No. 11 in a precise and well-coordinated program that offered a stark contrast to the club’s ongoing inability to hold down the Angels.

Los Angeles scored three runs in the ninth inning Thursday against closer Edwin Diaz in a 6-3 victory in the series opener and then erased a four-run deficit Friday in a 6-5 victory.

Now this.

“The story of our season is we have been up and down,” manager Scott Servais said. “We played great on (a recent 6-3) road trip. Coming back home, our bullpen, which has been so good a majority of the year, we’ve stubbed our toe.

“The last couple of nights, with Eddie (Diaz) down, changes how we look at (using) the bullpen. This is where we’re at. We’ve got to figure out how to win games. We’ve got to figure out how to finish games.”

Here’s the updated math: The Angels, at 60-58, hold sole possession of the American League’s final wild-card berth. Minnesota is one-half game back. The Mariners, Tampa Bay and Kansas City are all one game back.

Saturday’s loss stings a little more because Ramirez pitched well in limiting the Angels to one unearned run over six innings. But he had thrown 82 pitches, which was the most since June 21, and he confirmed he was beginning to miss location.

“I was feeling good,” he said, “but maybe my arm was a little down.”

Whatever. The game turned around after Ramirez departed.

Lawrence gave up a one-out single to C.J. Cron in the seventh before Luis Valbuena tied the game with a two-run homer.

The Mariners had a chance to answer later in the inning when Yonder Alonso singled, and Robinson Cano followed with a drive into the right-center gap. Third-base coach Manny Acta opted to try to score Alonso.

The play at the plate wasn’t close.

Right fielder Kole Calhoun made a strong throw to shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who threw a dart to the plate for the out.

That meant Zych inherited a tie game in the eighth, and he just didn’t have it. He opened then inning with two walks before surrendering a two-run double to Albert Pujols. The Angels added another run before the inning ended.

“Can’t let free guys on base in those situations,” Zych said. “Pujols got a big hit there, but you walk two guys that hurts the worst.”