" 𝔹𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕢𝕦𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕓𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥 "

SEATTLE -- It screamed to center field like a 107.5 mph knuckleball.

And as such, Julio Rodríguez had to dance back into position to make the play.

Randy Johnson '80s Jersey Night Giveaway is May 1! (First 20K fans)

 

Randy Johnson Number Retirement Ceremony Night

Monday night’s catch for the very first putout in the Mariners’ 6-4 loss to the Athletics was no ordinary snag, which is why Seattle’s star center fielder was left with a wide smile after gathering himself and throwing the ball in.

“I've gotten more athletic over the years,” Rodríguez said, “but I feel like I've always been athletic -- more than what people have ever credited me to.”

Cal Raleigh's 156th career home run ties him with Raúl Ibañez for 8th-most on the Mariners all-time home runs list. Alvin Davis (160 HR) is next up on the list.

Cal Raleigh's Solo Home Run (3)

Cal RaleCal Raleigh belts a solo home run to left-center field to give the Mariners a 1-0 lead in the 1st

The scorcher off Nick Kurtz’s bat had such incredible backspin that it shifted from sailing to straightaway center and directly at Rodríguez, to instead slicing over his right side. That forced him to rapidly plant his cleats, lean back, leap against his weight

and shove his glove in the opposite direction for any conceivable chance.

He timed it up perfectly, as he was completely midair when snagging the ball before tumbling back to the playing surface.

Then he sat on the field, legs sprawled, in almost his exact spot he started -- bringing the whole thing full-circle.

That followed an opposite-field homer from Cal Raleigh that put the Mariners on the board. Dominic Canzone followed with a solo homer in the second to give the Mariners what looked like a commanding lead.

But Hancock surrendered three solo homers that tied the game -- including to Kurtz -- then Casey Legumina coughed up another three runs in a decisive eighth inning.

Rodríguez loves making the glovely plays, which is why he allowed himself to relish this one. Making the moment sweeter was that it was against Kurtz, a fellow American League Rookie of the Year Award winner who’s blossomed into one of the sport’s

elite power hitters -- which Kurtz obviously showed later on Monday.

For all of his accomplishments, Rodríguez is still seeking his first Gold Glove Award.

Leo Rivas' RBI Double

 

And he’s pointedly stated that it’s an achievement that would mean a great deal to him. He was a finalist in 2023, but lost out to Toronto’s Kevin Kiermaier, and 2025, which went to Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela.

Since his debut, among center fielders, Rodríguez is tied for fourth with 37 outs above average, per Statcast, and he ranks 11th in fielding run value (31).

If this is the year he finally hoists the hardware, there’s a good chance that Monday’s highlight will be among the headliners that’s remembered most.

SAN DIEGO -- About the only positive development that came out of the Mariners’ 5-2 loss to the Padres on Thursday night is that this brief road trip is over.

Cal Raleigh '70s Jersey Night Giveaway is April 18!

They were swept in this three-gamer at Petco Park. They are now 1-8 on the road. And they saw the momentum winds from their four-game sweep over the Astros last weekend taken completely out of their sails.

Maybe that’ll turn when the Mariners voyage back to T-Mobile Park, where they’re 7-4. But they won’t have much time to catch their breath, with a 1 a.m. PT expected arrival early Friday, followed by a 6:40 p.m. first pitch vs. Texas -- the club that swept

them last week in Arlington -- to begin a six-game homestand with no off-days.

“You've just got to play baseball, man,” Julio Rodríguez said. “Obviously, when you're on the road, they will always have the advantage of walking it off or whatever. But I feel like if you play good baseball, you can win at home, on the road -- everywhere.”

The Mariners never led in Thursday’s finale, but instead coughed up three unearned runs (four total) in a fateful second inning that was marred by unexecuted pitches and a few defensive lapses.

They were the types of miscues that good teams -- like the Padres, who’ve won an MLB-best eight straight -- take advantage of. And the types that become insurmountable for teams when they don’t have everything else clicking in unison, like the

Mariners.

Julio Rodríguez's RBI Single

Julio Rodríguez hits an RBI single to right field, scoring a run to cut the Mariners' deficit to 4-2 in the 6th inning

That’s not to say that Seattle hasn’t put together better at-bats over the past week, which was evident throughout last weekend and in Wednesday’s game, before the doors blew open on Andres Muñoz.

Yet, therein lies what’s been a troubling trend -- the Mariners haven’t been able to consistently string together offense, starting pitching, bullpen and defense, night in and out. And that’s been especially true on the road.

Mariners offensive splits

Home: .235/.345/.403 (.748 OPS), 5.1 runs/game

Road: .177/.282/.249 (.531 OPS), 2.4 runs/game

“We've shown flashes, but I feel like we're going to be in a good spot,” Rodríguez said. “There is nothing else to say.”

Dan Wilson speaks following 5-2 loss to Padres

Rodríguez’s inside-out single in the sixth cut the Padres’ lead to 4-2 and mounted momentum, as there were no outs and two on. After their first out, they loaded the bases and had San Diego on the ropes, but then the Padres turned to lefty linchpin

Adrian Morejon, which in turn prompted manager Dan Wilson to pinch-hit Connor Joe for red-hot Luke Raley.

Joe struck out on three pitches, then J.P. Crawford grounded out. Joe’s spot again came up in the eighth, against right-handed setup man Jason Adam, and with two on -- precisely the pocket in which Raley has thrived. And while Joe did sting a 107 mph

liner into the left-field corner that had a .600 expected batting average, Ramón Laureano corralled it for the third out.

“Morejon is tough. He's tough, certainly on lefties,” Wilson said, explaining the decision. “And CJ, what we saw from him all spring were solid [at-bats]. And what we saw with him against Adam there in the eighth was another great at-bat. But Morejon is

tough [against] righties and lefties.”

And that was essentially the game, as Mason Miller came, saw and conquered his way through a 1-2-3 ninth -- all outs via strikeouts, all looking. Miller has now thrown 30 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings dating back to Aug. 5, including the postseason.

Of the Mariners’ seven losses on the road, six have come in games that they scored two runs or fewer. But they also paid for those free outs on the basepaths.

Back to the second, Luis Castillo gave up three straight one-out hits that put the Padres on the board, then he was charged an error after attempting a putout on a comebacker that hit him on the back of his right leg, though it was Josh Naylor at first base

who dropped the ball.

Naylor then bobbled a 97.4 mph chopper on a would-be double play attempt and had to instead settle for the putout at first, which would’ve been the third out sans the error. The double play, too, would’ve ended the inning. But that brought Fernando

Tatis Jr. to the plate, who ripped a 105.2 mph single to center for two more runs to cap a four-spot for the frame.

“You can't give those guys extra baserunners in those innings, and they were able to capitalize,” Wilson said.

SAN DIEGO -- Bryan Woo was aggravated enough on Tuesday night that Cal Raleigh had to prompt his pitcher back to the mound.

The Mariners’ electric right-hander had just been called for a balk on a pickoff attempt in the second inning of an eventual 4-1 loss to the Padres, then sought an explanation from first-base umpire Bill Miller, who issued the sanction.

It wasn’t exactly heated, but Woo paced all the way to first base to hear Miller’s rationale, prompting Raleigh to go get him and manager Dan Wilson to jog all the way out to the confab, too. Because arguing a balk can lead to an automatic ejection.

Miller made the ruling on the positioning of Josh Naylor, and the first baseman said in passing that it was because he was too far in front of the bag for the throw. But Naylor also said that’s where he’s typically positioned when holding a runner.

The whole situation proved moot, as Woo wound up retiring the next two batters to escape the frame unscathed. Yet, it was the initial moment of frustration for the 2025 All-Star on a night that had more of it, as he gave up three decisive runs an inning

later.

Dan Wilson on the Mariners' missed Opportunities

Dan Wilson discusses the Mariners' missed opportunites after their two-run loss against the Padres

Woo wound up clearing the seventh for the second time in four starts and now has a 2.16 ERA -- but the Mariners are just 1-3 behind him.

The latter part has led to him regularly shouldering blame in defeats, even on nights like Tuesday where he was otherwise solid.

The three runs against him came after Ramón Laureano lined a triple over Luke Raley’s head in right field, Fernando Tatis Jr. lined a 106.9 mph single past second baseman Cole Young with the infield in, then Xander Bogaerts poked a two-run single on a

sweeper without much movement in a full count, after Woo had began 0-2.

Tatis advanced from first to third when running early on a Jackson Merrill single in a full count, then Merrill was in scoring position instead of on first after a stolen base that did not yield a throw down. Essentially, they moved up, then capitalized in a big

way, which is what good teams do -- as the Padres have now won six straight.

“I threw two really bad sliders, and then by the time that we got to 3-2, or whatever it was, I think he had seen three or four of them in a row,” Woo said of Bogaerts. “So I just have to execute better.”

This one wasn’t all on Woo, though -- far from it.

The Mariners mustered just four hits and one run, which came way back in the second inning -- and they probably could’ve cashed in more. Seattle loaded the bases in that frame despite zero balls leaving the infield, but was only able to manufacture a

sacrifice fly against Michael King, who was on the ropes.

When healthy, King is one of the better righties in the National League, yet the Mariners had the leadoff man reach base in three of the next four innings. Nothing came of it.

“Not being able to string things together, and that was the difference tonight for him,” Wilson said.

King completed the sixth, then handed things over to San Diego’s loaded bullpen -- Adrian Morejon, Jason Adam and Mason Miller, who extended MLB’s longest active scoreless streak to 29 2/3 innings. It was clear leading up to Miller that the Mariners

would need to rally before the all-world closer entered.

J.P. Crawford's Over-the-Shoulder Catch

J.P. Crawford ranges to the outfield and makes the impressive over-the-shoulder catch in the bottom of of the 3rd inning

Part of Tuesday night could be chalked up to running into a hot team. But some of the Mariners’ struggles felt all too similar to Seattle’s last road trip, when they went 1-5, before returning home and sweeping the Astros in four games. Last weekend was a

big bright spot, but it was also against a battered team that was piecing together its pitching staff.

SEATTLE -- Josh Naylor got off the schneid in a seismic way on Monday afternoon.

Cal Raleigh '70s Jersey Night Giveaway is April 18!

Mired in the worst slump within Seattle’s lineup to start this season, the slugging first baseman homered in each of his first two at-bats to lift the Mariners to a 6-2 win over the Astros as they completed a four-game sweep at T-Mobile Park.

Those big blasts gave George Kirby plenty of breathing room to pitch into the eighth inning for his second straight start, complete with the right-hander lobbying manager Dan Wilson for one final batter -- Yordan Alvarez, to boot -- despite his pitch count

at 95.

Josh Naylor Speaks on his Two-Homer Game

Josh Naylor talks about his first home runs of the season that came from back-to-back pitches

 "The Swag"

Alas, Kirby walked Alvarez on four pitches for his first free pass of the day but left to a worthy ovation.

As for Naylor, he entered play with zero extra-base hits over his first 66 plate appearances, which was MLB’s second-longest active drought behind Cincinnati’s TJ Friedl. And because of that power drought, with a 6-for-59 ledger entering this one, his

batting average was equal to his slugging percentage (.102).

Cole Wilcox Secures the Mariners' Win

Cole Wilcox secures the Mariners' 6-2 victory over the Astros with a groundout

Cole Young's Insane Diving Catch

🔥 George Kirby Strikes Out Six in 7 2/3 Innings 🔥

George Kirby strikes out six batters across 7 2/3 innings against the Astros, allowing two runs en route to his second win of the season

🔥 George Kirby Strikes Out Six in 7 2/3 Innings 🔥

It was wildly uncharacteristic for a player who slugged .462 last year and has hit cleanup in 16 of the Mariners’ 17 games this season.

Monday’s big showing demonstrated why the Mariners signed Naylor to a five-year, $92.5 million free-agent deal to return following a hugely successful stretch upon being acquired at last year’s Trade Deadline.

In the first inning, Naylor yanked an 0-1 fastball from Mike Burrows to the pull side and narrowly over the right-field wall, at a Statcast-projected 365 feet. But the second was no cheapie, as Naylor connected at an exit velocity of 111.5 mph and launched

it 433 feet and into The J-Rod Squad beyond center field, comfortably clearing the deepest part of the ballpark.

that the Angels' right fielder robbed three home runs in a single night.

Monday’s start was an emphatic one for a club that secured just its second four-game sweep of Houston in 16 such meetings since the club moved to the American League in 2013.

That the Mariners were in position to do so speaks to how much their offense has come to life on this homestand. Of their 69 runs scored this season, 29 have come in the past four days.

Cal Raleigh Singles on Ground Ball

Luke Raley's Leaping Catch

Luke Raley makes a great leaping catch to get the second out of the 9th inning

SEATTLE -- Logan Gilbert rarely sports a wide smile on the mound, but Sunday certainly called for it.

The Mariners’ Opening Day starter let down his uber-competitive alter ego for a brief blip during the first inning of a 6-1 win over the Astros, when nabbing Jose Altuve for one of the more well-executed pickoffs you’ll see.

Cal Raleigh '70s Jersey Night Giveaway is April 18!

And aside from the levity of it, that moment quietly went down as a turning point in this one -- despite how early it took place and how the final score might’ve suggested this was a comfortable win from the get-go.

Altuve was dancing back and forth on his lead while Gilbert was in his stretch, and Josh Naylor keenly took note. The first baseman deked Altuve by pretending that the pickoff was coming, which prompted Altuve to retreat to the bag. Then, once Altuve

realized it was a fake-out, his guard came down and he hopped back out into a lengthier lead, from 8.2 feet to 11.8 feet.

In those microseconds, Cal Raleigh signaled to Gilbert that they had him. The backstop dropped his glove straight down while in his crouch -- at which point Gilbert fired to Naylor and left Altuve standing in no-man’s land.

It was a three-player mouse trap, and adding even more to the cunning coup was that two pitches earlier, Altuve was 90 feet from scoring. Or so everyone in the building thought.

Altuve had just taken off for a stolen-base attempt, then advanced to third when Raleigh’s throw sailed into center field. But home-plate umpire Clint Vondrak called interference on himself after Raleigh’s throwing hand hit the official’s mask as he prepared

to release the ball.

That bang-bang play took place on the same pitch that Gilbert struck out Yordan Alvarez in a full count, dispatching Houston’s best hitter -- and even better, with a runner on base. Then after the pickoff, Gilbert generated a flyout to Isaac Paredes that

ended the inning and sent him off and running.

He wound up completing the seventh, after his offense went to work against Houston’s battered pitching staff, which sustained another injury

Luke Raley's Two-Run Double

J.P. Crawford Scores on Bases-Loaded Walk

J.P. Crawford is able to score after Julio Rodríguez walks with the bases loaded, extending the Mariners' lead to 2-0 in the 2nd inning

Randy Arozarena's RBI Single

Randy Arozarena drops a single into center field, driving in Brendan Donovan to give the Mariners an early 1-0 lead in the 1st

Little Leaguers take the field with Mariners April 12, 2026

SEATTLE -- There was no one else that the Mariners wanted at the plate on Saturday night.

Bottom of the ninth, tie game and against division rival. But the telling context was that the bases were loaded, and absolutely nobody in this lineup thrives more in those stakes than J.P. Crawford.

Cal Raleigh '70s Jersey Night Giveaway is April 18!

Seattle’s longest-tenured player hit an opposite-field RBI single into the left-field gap that easily scored Cole Young and lifted the Mariners to an 8-7 victory over the Astros in front of a ticketed crowd of 43,294.

Julio Rodríguez ties game with first homer of season

Julio Rodríguez launches a two-run homer to center, his first of the year, while tying the game at 7 in the top of the 6th

And that moment actually came after another bases-loaded breakthrough from Crawford earlier on Saturday, when he punched a two-run single in the fifth. Those were Seattle’s first runs after the club had surrendered seven unanswered -- all from Luis

Castillo.

Luis Castillo

For his career, Crawford is now 30-for-77 with the bases loaded -- good for a gaudy slash line of .390/.396/.766 (1.162 OPS).

SEATTLE -- The entire Randy Arozarena experience could be boiled down to one big at-bat on Friday night.

A high-and-in heater he wasn’t thrilled about. Taking first base when ball four wasn’t actually called that the home-plate umpire wasn’t thrilled about.

The punctuating part, however, was something the packed house at T-Mobile Park was plenty thrilled about.

Arozarena demolished his first home run of 2026 during that fifth-inning sequence, breaking a tense tie with the division-rival Astros and sending Seattle toward a 9-6 victory -- which also snapped a five-game skid.

Upon ambushing a 3-1 fastball from reliever Ryan Weiss, Arozarena nearly dropped to one knee and kept his bat elevated toward the sky on his follow-through -- all the way until the 426-foot blast landed in the second deck. He then took a lengthy 31.54

seconds to round the bases, MLB’s fifth-longest home-run trot this year, and sent the home crowd into a frenzy when hoisting Seattle’s celebratory home run trident at the dugout’s top step.

But it didn’t stop there.

After high-fiving teammates, Arozarena -- keenly aware when the spotlight is on him -- approached the dugout camera, flipped the trident against his waist and began playing it like a guitar.

It might have been a tad over the top, but this night -- and this moment -- called for a jam session.

The Mariners had been mired in the sport’s worst offensive start to the season, entering Friday ranked dead last in every slash line category for a collective clip of .184/.280/.301 (.581 OPS). They were coming off a 1-5 road trip through Anaheim and

Arlington in which they scored just 13 runs (2.2 per game). They are beginning to be questioned about the heightened expectations that they’ve put on themselves, even just two weeks into the season.

All of those factors won’t be washed away with one big night, but this was the type of performance they needed, and more so, avoiding what would’ve been their longest losing streak since a six-game skid in May 2022.

Dominic Canzone's RBI Double Mariners bring home four in the 7th

Who it came against added a little boost, too.

J.P. Crawford's RBI Single

 (Photo by Jack Compton/Getty Images) Getty Images

Seattle also set itself up nicely for the rest of this four-game litmus test against the club it finally usurped in the American League West last season. Houston had to lean heavily on its bullpen after starter Tatsuya Imai failed to make it out of the first

inning, adding insult to literal injury, as the Astros were already without Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier after each suffered Grade 2 shoulder strains over the past week.

Andres Muñoz works out of trouble for the save

Andres Muñoz gets Jeremy Peña to ground out to third base, securing his first save of the season and the Mariners' 9-6 win

Randy Arozarena on his Home Run, Celebration

Randy Arozarena talks about his 5th-inning at-bat before hitting his home run, his celebration with the trident, and more following the 9-6 win over the Astros

ARLINGTON -- Rob Refsnyder hasn’t spent much time in the outfield for the Mariners this season, spending the bulk of his time thus far at designated hitter. But the veteran showed early in Wednesday’s 3-0 loss to the Rangers that he still knows his way

around out there.

In the third inning of a scoreless tie at Globe Life Field, Josh Smith led off with a deep fly ball down the right-field line that Refsnyder tracked down and grabbed with a leaping catch at the wall. Refsnyder slowed from a full sprint, timed his jump just right,

and robbed Smith of a homer.

Refsnyder, who wasn’t near that corner, had to cover 115 feet of ground to run down the ball.

Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo’s incredulous reaction said it all. He tilted his head to the side in apparent frustration while he watched the ball soar. Woo straightened up and dropped his jaw after Refsnyder made the catch. Woo raised his hands in

celebration, and watchful lip readers could see the right-hander exclaim “holy” before putting his hands on his head and tipping his cap to Refsnyder.

Refsnyder has played every position but shortstop and catcher during his 11-year MLB career, but Wednesday’s catch might have been his flashiest play anywhere.

 

ARLINGTON -- Mariners right-hander George Kirby had so thoroughly mastered the Rangers over their first 10 meetings that even his complete-game quality start on Tuesday might look like a relative disappointment on paper.

The Mariners dropped their fourth in a row and sixth of the past seven games in a 3-2 loss at Globe Life Field. But it wasn’t all on Kirby, who efficiently went the distance in just 90 pitches. Despite losing for the first time in 11 starts against Texas, he was

relentless with his four-seam fastball, staying in the strike zone and keeping the Rangers off balance for all but a few moments.

“He pitched his heart out,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “Eight innings, gave us a chance to win that one -- and really, at the end of the ballgame, was throwing just as well as he was at the beginning of the ballgame. The velo was there, the stuff

was there. What we’ve seen from George so far has been outstanding.”

Dan Wilson discusses the Mariners' 3-2 loss

Dan Wilson discusses George Kirby's impressive outing, the Mariners' offense and more after their tough 3-2 loss to their division rival Rangers

Through three-plus innings and 25 pitches on Tuesday, Kirby had thrown only two balls, scattering a couple of hits but escaping any damage. He allowed a leadoff single in the fourth but quickly got a strikeout and induced a double play.

Kirby’s only glaring mistake was a fifth-inning sinker to Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka; Kirby left it in the upper-middle of the zone and Higashioka quickly lined the ball over the left-field wall for a decisive two-run homer.

“I was aggressive with my heaters in the zone pretty much all day, so I knew they were swinging,” Kirby said. “I just tried to make quality strikes at that point, got a lot of ground balls, which was great. Just the one home run ... it is what it is.”

Brendan Donovan's Leadoff Homer (3)

Brendan Donovan homers on the first pitch of the game to right field, giving the Mariners an early 1-0 lead

After that, Kirby retired the next 12 hitters he faced to log his second career complete game. He did not issue a walk for the first time this season (three starts), and struck out four.

Kirby had set a remarkably high bar for himself the first 10 times he saw the Rangers, going 8-0 with a 1.04 ERA over 60 2/3 innings. He tossed at least five innings in all 10 of those meetings and went six innings or more in eight of them, and held the

Rangers scoreless in six of them. Entering Tuesday, the Mariners had won all 10 of the games Kirby started against Texas.

The Rangers can’t say they’ve ever truly gotten to Kirby, but Tuesday was the closest they have come.

“He’s just pumping fastballs [and] we're just a tick late, it felt like the whole night,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “He went complete game. He was just really, really good tonight. ... He's dominated a lot of teams. I've watched him for a couple

years now. He is one of the better pitchers that we have, so it's not just against us, although, yeah, we do have trouble against him. I've seen the numbers. I've seen the matchups against our some of our really good hitters. ... He's just a complete

pitcher, and always a tough matchup."

J.P. Crawford's Nice Play and Throw on the Run

J.P. Crawford ranges over to his right to make a stellar stop and throw on the run to record the second out in the bottom of the 2nd inning

Kirby threw 49 pitches at 95 mph or faster Tuesday, according to Statcast, and was still throwing 97-plus to the last batter he faced.

“What was coming out of his hand was still electric ... It was just a outstanding night for George,” Wilson said. “We’ve seen this from him, he stays focused. He was locked in tonight.”

The Mariners’ offense, which failed to put a runner in scoring position in Monday’s loss, fared better on Tuesday but still couldn’t produce a game-changing hit when it needed one. Brendan Donovan gave the Mariners a 1-0 lead with a homer on the game’s

first pitch, and Seattle tacked on another run in the fifth, but its ninth-inning rally attempt fizzled.

Luke Raley led off the ninth with a liner to left but was held to a single. Raley said he missed the bag rounding first and had no choice but to retreat.

Cal Raleigh's RBI Single

“I was just trying to make too too tight of a turn,” Raley said. “I knew I had to go try and get in scoring position. And then, yeah, the realization hit me -- if someone saw it, it's better me being on first base than not on base at all. So, stupid mistake ... it

just can’t happen.”

ARLINGTON -- Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh’s season-opening home run drought finally ended Monday in a memorable battle with Rangers ace Jacob deGrom, but many of Seattle’s sluggers are still withering.

Dan Wilson on Logan Gilbert, lack of hitting

Dan Wilson discusses Logan Gilbert's great outing against the Rangers, as well as acknowledging the difficulty scoring runs in the Mariners 2-1 loss to the Rangers

The Mariners’ second through fifth hitters in the lineup Monday -- Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez, Josh Naylor and Randy Arozarena -- mashed a total of 128 homers last season, including Raleigh’s MLB-leading 60. But they had nary a dinger between them --

and a combined .137 average with a .383 OPS -- entering Monday’s 2-1 loss to the Rangers.

After Raleigh went deep on the 12th pitch of a first-inning at-bat against deGrom, the Mariners collected only one hit the rest of the night, an Arozarena single in the seventh off reliever Tyler Alexander. Raleigh, Rodríguez and Naylor are all batting below

.150 now.

“We just weren't able to get the traffic and get those runners on and put the pressure on,” Seattle manager Dan Wilson said.

None of the Mariners hitters managed to accomplish anything Monday with runners in scoring position -- because they never had any. Although they were able to chase deGrom after five innings -- he departed after experiencing right knee discomfort --

the Mariners only put two runners on base against five Rangers relievers over the final four frames.

The Mariners have lost three in a row, including two to the Angels over the weekend.

“We’ve just got to take care of those little things ... kind of a slow start there in the first two games in [Anaheim], same thing here today,” Raleigh said. “We’ve just got to create some traffic. Even when you're not hitting the ball like you want to, you’ve

got to be able to do the little things right: steal bags, get runners over, grind out at-bats, find some free bases here and there. We're just not doing that.”

All 12 pitches of Cal Raleigh's homer at-bat

After his breakthrough 2025 season, Raleigh needed 11 games -- and 12 pitches in an epic first-inning at-bat against deGrom -- to collect his first round-tripper of 2026. He smacked a 99.1 mph fastball a Statcast-projected 418 feet to right, a no-doubter

that gave the Mariners a 1-0 lead.

Raleigh quickly fell behind in the count 0-2, but fouled off five balls before belting a line drive over the wall. It marked the third time in Raleigh’s career that he had homered in an at-bat of 10 or more pitches, a Mariners record. It also happened to be the

most pitches deGrom had ever thrown in an at-bat ending in a hit.

Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert was in a position to outduel deGrom until the bottom of the sixth, when he gave up a two-out single to Corey Seager and an RBI double to Jake Burger for the game’s pivotal run. Gilbert recorded his final out on a

strikeout, his seventh of the outing, and pitched six full innings for the first time in three starts this season. In his previous two starts, Gilbert was pulled with one out in the sixth.

“I’m always trying to get at least six, I felt like I was in a good spot to do it,” Gilbert said. “And then sometimes in the sixth, things just happen. So we got the flyout to the wall. But then, of course, two outs, they get a single, and then I made a bad pitch,

and then had 0-2 there [to Burger], made another. ... You take two pitches and [if] they were a little better, then it's a different story.

ANAHEIM -- The first had a sense of “oof.” The second had a dose of diabolical. And the third might go down as the catch of the year.

The Mariners were on the wrong side of a game that virtually everyone at Angel Stadium and across the sport on Saturday said they’d never seen before -- three home run robberies, all by the same outfielder.

And making Halos right fielder Jo Adell’s heroics even more spectacular was that each was essentially a game-saving play in the 1-0 decision.

Had at least two cleared the fence, we might be having a much different conversation -- and especially across the airwaves in Seattle, given who fell victim to Adell’s insane night.

Cal Raleigh’s long fly ball found Adell’s leather in the first inning, taking away what would have been his first homer since his historic 60 last season. Josh Naylor sent one to the fence in the eighth that was a near-carbon copy of Raleigh’s drive, and erased

what would’ve been his first extra-base hit in 2026.

But J.P. Crawford’s in the ninth might’ve been the most gut-punching, given how Adell completely left his feet, crashed into the stands and somehow corralled it after falling out of view.

The last one was close enough that the Mariners challenged, but to no avail.

And per Statcast -- independent of an amazing defensive effort -- all three would’ve been homers at T-Mobile Park.

"You just tip the cap,” Raleigh said. “I don't think I've ever seen a guy rob two homers in a game, much less three. So it's just one of those things where baseball can amaze you night in and night out. You can see something you’ve never seen before. The

game, it's amazing. I've never seen that."

Raleigh, Naylor and Crawford are each off to a slow start in 2026, and a homer could’ve turned their fortunes for at least one night.

On the heels of his historic season, Raleigh has now gone nine games without a homer since Opening Day, eclipsing the longest drought he had all of last season (eight games from May 3-11).

Naylor did drive in two insurance runs in the 10th inning of Friday’s tense win, but they were his first of the year. Overall, he’s 4-for-35, and with each of his hits being singles, his batting average matches his slugging percentage (.114).

Crawford was playing in just his second game after missing the Opening Week homestand on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation. He also feels like he has much to prove -- to the organization (which just signed his heir apparent to a $95

million contract extension) and the rest of the league (given that he’ll be a free agent at season’s end).

“Three great catches, no question,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “And it's frustrating when you feel like you put a good swing on a ball like that and drive it, like our guys did, and you don't end up with anything to show for it. But I think that the

positive there is that guys are starting to swing the bat and it's starting to come around."

Wilson isn’t wrong, although it might not be what most want to hear on a night in which the Mariners stranded nine baserunners and went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

Those shortcomings masked another brilliant pitching effort, this one from Emerson Hancock, whose lone blemish was a solo homer to Zach Neto in the first. He then went on to finish 6 2/3 innings with only five other hits. Neto’s homer is the lone earned

run that the Mariners have surrendered this weekend.

"Obviously, yeah, you look at the three balls that [Adell] caught,” Raleigh said. “But at the same time, we've got to do a better job of the little things -- of getting guys over, executing with runners in scoring position."

This offense has enough of a supporting cast that it doesn’t have to run through Raleigh. Yet, his struggles have been more magnified given that the rest of Seattle’s primary run producers are also trying to get going. We haven’t mentioned Julio

Rodríguez, who wasn’t robbed by Adell on Saturday but who’s also seeking his first extra-base hit.

It’s getting there, albeit marginally, but Adell had other plans on Saturday.

“In general, I felt a lot better tonight,” Raleigh said. “I thought I took some good swings, took some good at-bats. I've just got to stay a little more disciplined in those 3-2 counts. But overall, I thought, the guys took some great swings tonight."

That frustrating finish was on his mind as he steered from the strike zone with a four-pitch walk to Trout to begin the fourth inning on Friday and over a 19-pitch fifth. That followed a hit-by-pitch to the three-time AL MVP in the first, which prompted a

brief staredown from Trout.

But Woo got his pitch count back on track from there, needing five in the sixth and seven in the seventh -- thanks to a few words-of-wisdom mound visits from Cal Raleigh.

“That's what I keep talking about -- raising the floor,” Woo said. “Just the days that you don't feel like you have it or have your best stuff, still figuring out how to get through it and make the most out of those days.”

One thing the Mariners will be monitoring the rest of the weekend is the status of third baseman Brendan Donovan, who exited after landing awkwardly on first base when attempting to leg out an infield single. Wilson didn’t have a detailed postgame

update, other than that Donovan is dealing with discomfort in his leg.

Dan Wilson on Bryan Woo's great start, Cole Young

Dan Wilson dissects the Mariners' extra-inning win, Bryan Woo's dominant start, Cole Young growing as a player, Josh Naylor

SEATTLE -- It was never going to be a full off-day for Cal Raleigh.

Mired in a mini-slump to begin the regular season, the Mariners’ all-world catcher was out of Seattle’s starting lineup on Monday night against the Yankees -- but wound up being the hero in a 2-1 walk-off win.

Raleigh ripped a one-out single down the line off Paul Blackburn and past the outstretched glove of diving first baseman Ben Rice, which allowed Leo Rivas to score easily. Rivas led off with a single then went first-to-third on a single from Brendan

Donovan.

It’s still preposterously early to say that this could be an inflection point to springboard Raleigh in 2026.

But given the topsy-turvy month that the AL MVP runner-up has gone through -- from not playing much in the World Baseball Classic, then falling behind in Spring Training reps before Opening Day -- it could steer him in a better direction.

“It'll be OK,” Raleigh said. “I know a lot of guys in that locker room, a lot of people across the league, are fighting the same thing. Guys are trying to find timing. And it's under a microscope more so now than it is in the middle of the season.”

Raleigh’s late breakthrough came after a 2-for-16 start to the season that included 11 strikeouts -- the most recent of which came when he pinch-hit in the designated hitter spot for Dominic Canzone in the seventh inning.

To start the season, Raleigh K’d in each of his first eight at-bats, tying the most for any non-pitcher in the expansion era (since 1961), and his 10 through the first four games were the most ever for a Mariners hitter.

Whether it was timing or routine, Raleigh was still finding his groove upon returning from the Classic after 18 days on March 19.

He only appeared in three games for Team USA, going 0-for-9 with six strikeouts, and there also wasn’t an avenue for him to go through his robust routine regularly, as the WBC venues featured multiple teams under the same roof on the same days. In

other words, he couldn’t just go into the batting cage whenever he wanted.

And when he was in Arizona, Raleigh was scrambling to get as many at-bats as possible -- with extra reps in live batting practice before Cactus League play began and as many as eight at-bats per game on the back fields upon returning.

“I don't feel terrible in the box,” Raleigh said. “I feel like I've had some tough pitches, but at the same time, I just need to execute a little better.”

Yet, these were actually less pressing factors in why Mariners manager Dan Wilson opted to give Raleigh the day off behind the plate.

It was as much about load management.

The Mariners were actually more deliberate about Raleigh’s workload last year than it might’ve seemed, given that he logged 1,072 innings behind the plate (third-most in MLB). They anticipated a taper-off at some point and were prepared to act

accordingly.

But that never happened. In fact, beyond his 60 homers, Raleigh played some of his best baseball in the playoffs.

Last year, Raleigh was slated for his first full off-day on May 6 in Sacramento but came off the bench and ripped a game-winning single. He didn’t end up getting that full off-day until June 8 in Anaheim.

When Raleigh entered Monday’s game, he did so as Seattle’s third DH of the night -- after Rob Refsnyder, who started against rough lefty Ryan Weathers, and Canzone, who makes up the other half of that full-time platoon.

And therein lies why Raleigh won’t see as much action at DH this year, after making 38 starts there in ‘25 as a way to keep his bat in the lineup during a historic season. He made another 121 starts at catcher, and played in all but three of the Mariners’

174 games last season (including playoffs).

Luis Castillo's 1,500th career strikeout

Luis Castillo strikes out Aaron Judge in the top of the 6th inning, reaching career strikeout number 1,500

Luis Castillo's six scoreless innings

Luis Castillo tosses six scoreless innings and strikes out seven batters in his strong season debut against the Yankees

“The depth in our lineup, that certainly does help,” Wilson said, “and being able to not have to rely on him all the time for the DH spot too is great. And so I think this is an opportunity where it made a lot of sense today.”

For these factors and more, Raleigh lobbied the Mariners’ front office to bring back Mitch Garver as his backup -- a veteran he trusts immensely to hold things down when he’s not behind the dish.

Because it sounds like when Raleigh is off in ‘26, he’ll be more off than in ‘25. Except for moments like Monday, when he’s needed in a pinch.

SEATTLE -- Call it an evening of recalibration for the Mariners.

For manager Dan Wilson in this Opening Week series that had more stress than anticipated. For their leverage relievers for getting a necessary breather. For their offense living up to its lofty billing in an 8-0 win. And above all, for Emerson Hancock, who

yearns to make a name for himself beyond de facto injury fill-in

The defending American League West champions were on cruise control in front of a national broadcast in the first edition of a new-look Sunday Night Baseball. And in spite of the lopsided score, it was largely on the shoulders of Hancock, who pitched like

the mascot from his alma mater.

The former Georgia Bulldog held the contact-heavy Guardians hitless over six innings while racking up a career-high nine strikeouts.

Yes, hitless -- and among 19 batters faced.

The only baserunners to reach against Hancock were Jose Ramirez, via a first-inning walk, and No. 8 hitter CJ Kayfus, who was hit by a pitch to lead off the sixth. And the latter came at a time where Wilson entrusted Hancock to work through an extra

inning in an effort to steal a few final outs and stave off his bullpen usage.

The Mariners were already up 6-0 and well on their way to victory. But navigating that final frame on a night where Andrés Muñoz and Eduard Bazardo were unavailable, and probably Gabe Speier too, sets them up nicely moving to another big series

looming Monday against the Yankees.

Cal Raleigh's RBI ground-rule double

Cal Raleigh hits a ground-rule double to left field to extend the Mariners' lead to 7-0 in the 5th

The breathing room was made possible by a big breakout from the offense -- headlined by a three-run homer from Brendan Donovan, and on a night where the Mariners saw two fly balls (from Randy Arozarena and Josh Naylor) die at the warning track

thanks to the pesky marine layer.

Randy Arozarena's RBI double

Randy Arozarena smacks an RBI double to left-center field to give the Mariners a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the 5th

But this night was mostly about Hancock, who easily turned in the best start among the Mariners’ rotation the first time through -- outshining the likes of Logan Gilbert, George Kirby and Bryan Woo, while Luis Castillo takes the mound on Monday.

The sweeper that Hancock harnessed in Spring Training generated one silly swing after another, while the four-seam fastball was dotted at the top of the zone with conviction, even with a slight dip in velocity.

We’ve seen Hancock turn in a gem here and there, for sure. But it was the mound presence that persevered in a way that truly hadn’t until this night. It was the look of a pitcher on the attack, and one who believes he belongs on this stage.

Hancock is in the Mariners’ Opening Day rotation for the third straight season due to an injury to an incumbent. This year, he’s holding things down while Bryce Miller recovers from left oblique inflammation, an issue that first surfaced during the right-

hander’s Cactus League debut.

Mariners to debut new Steelheads jerseys for Sunday Night Baseball

Historic Steelheads jerseys pay homage to Mariners

“That’s one of the coolest uniforms I’ve ever worn,” Naylor said. “It’s so cool. Having the privilege of wearing it, it’s awesome.”

Up next

Guardians LHP Parker Messick gets the ball Monday in Los Angeles against RHP Roki Sasaki and the World Series champion Dodgers.

RHP Luis Castillo starts Monday night for Seattle against LHP Ryan Weathers in the first of three home games against the New York Yankees.

SEATTLE -- Bryan Woo sat dejected and approaching disgust when dissecting what was, other than one shaky inning, a superb outing.

But such are the standards that the Mariners’ electric right-hander holds himself to. And after a 6-5 loss to the Guardians in the 10th inning on Saturday night -- well after he departed -- it was not the beginning to the season that Woo had wanted.

Ichiro Replica Statue Giveaway is April 10!

"I’ve got to do a better job of keeping teams down when they’re down,” Woo said.

Woo walked No. 9 batter Brayan Rocchio to lead off the sixth inning. After recording two outs, he was beaten by José Ramírez in a 3-1 count for an RBI double into the right-field corner. That led to a mound visit from pitching coach Pete Woodworth, after

which Woo gave up a game-tying single to Kyle Manzardo on his very next pitch.

The Mariners -- who had little going at the plate until reaching crunch time -- wouldn’t lead again.

Bullpen management at a surface level looked questionable in specific pockets, though manager Dan Wilson revealed postgame, without going into specifics, that he was operating with a limited staff. The irony was that Wilson eventually did reach his

highest-leverage reliever, Andrés Muñoz, and the two-time All-Star was on the hook for the loss when surrendering a two-run home run to red-hot rookie Chase DeLauter shortly upon entering in the 10th.

That wound up being the ballgame.

"There were a couple guys that obviously needed a little bit of rest,” Wilson said. “And so you have to, again, weigh all those odds, all those factors especially here early in the season and understanding that it's a long year.”

Luke Raley made it interesting with his third homer in as many days, a two-run blast that cut Cleveland’s lead to one. And Julio Rodríguez got off a mini schneid by tying the game at 3-3 in the ninth, when Seattle was down to its final strike and out. It was

his first hit of the season after beginning 0-for-10.

But those efforts, while valiant, proved to be too little too late.

DeLauter’s knock was a dramatic display for well beyond the fact that it was his fourth of the series, and that these are the first regular-season games for MLB Pipeline’s No. 45 overall prospect. It was also for the sheer power to connect on the 96.6 mph

fastball way up and out of the zone and punch it a projected 365 feet over the opposite-field fence.

"That’s an elite pitcher, an elite fastball,” Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan said. “To be able to do it, especially here with the wind blowing in, a really big fence out in left, it's as talented as you can be. To execute it too, to have the hand-eye and all that,

it's still so impressive."

Essentially, Woo's outing might’ve been a culprit in the defeat -- but if so, his was a small role.

Until Rodríguez broke through, set up by a leadoff double from Cole Young, the Mariners had just two runs and were playing at least one arm short in their bullpen.

After Woo departed, Eduard Bazardo generated two quick outs to begin the sixth, but he then walked the Nos. 8-9 hitters and surrendered a go-ahead single to Kwan. That knock came while Gabe Speier was hot, and Speier did enter immediately after.

But again, it seemed like another sequence of too little too late.

"'Zardo is a guy that we really trust,” Wilson said, “and Kwan was just able to flip that ball to left field and get the big hit. You're hoping you can get him through there, and then Gabe has got the next inning. But it just was one of those tough ones

tonight.”

Donovan, Robles execute Double Steal

Brendan Donovan and Victor Robles execute a double steal in the bottom of the 6th

Speier has held Kwan 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in their brief career matchups, but it was also evident that Wilson preferred to hold him for a clean seventh. Maybe it’s because Jose A. Ferrer was unavailable, because the new leverage lefty seemed

primed to pitch in this one given the seven lefties in Cleveland’s starting lineup.

The Mariners also prefer to stay clear of Matt Brash on consecutive days, at least early, and he pitched Saturday. And now Muñoz will be down for the series finale, having pitched in back-to-back games. The club is also without Carlos Vargas, who suffered

a right lat strain on Thursday and was placed on the 15-day injured list.

Navigating bullpen usage is like steering a season-long ship. But ideally, the Mariners wouldn’t have had to face as many such challenges before their first weekend was through.