6/5/25

(Seattle, WA) To say not only the current three-game series, but the nine-game homestand in general had been a total disaster would be an understatement for the Seattle Mariners. While they did find a way to take two out of three against Minnesota, series losses to Washington and Baltimore really derailed the momentum that Seattle had built and also bumped them out of a playoff spot currently.

Looking to just salvage one game of the series with Baltimore, the M’s would need their guy in Bryan Woo to step up in a big way in the finale. However, the rotation has not been the problem as of late. The lineup would need to figure out a way to drive in runs against Zach Eflin while the bullpen would be needed to protect any lead the Mariners might get.

Orioles 4, Mariners 3 (Game Three)

Both pitchers would strand runners in scoring position in the 1st before both settled in. Seattle would be the more threatening offense as they would have runners in scoring position in each of the first two innings but failed to capitalize on the opportunities. Baltimore would be gifted a run early that ended up playing a huge factor in the outcome of the game. A walk to Maverick Handley would see the O’s backup catcher move to second on a wild pitch and to third on a sacrifice fly. One more wild pitch brought him home and a walk once again hurt the M’s as they trailed 1-0.

Luckily, Seattle would get Bryan Woo that run back in the home half of the 3rd. J.P. Crawford stayed hot with a leadoff single but was erased when Jorge Polanco hit into a fielder’s choice. Polanco would then steal second as Julio Rodríguez struck out for the second out of the inning. Cal Raleigh would then come to the plate and put together a strong at-bat, staying alive with two strikes. He would end up chasing a 3-2 changeup down and away but was able to flip it to left center for a base hit. Polanco came in and scored and Raleigh had tied the game up at 1-1.

Both Woo and Eflin cruised through the 4th and Woo did the same in a 1-2-3 5th. Zach Eflin was not as fortunate in his half of the inning. A leadoff double by J.P. Crawford put the go-ahead run in scoring position to start the inning. He would move up to third on a Jorge Polanco grounder but remained there after Julio grounded out to short for the second out. With two outs and first base open, everyone anticipated Baltimore intentionally walking Cal Raleigh. They didn’t and it cost them. Raleigh just missed a home run his first time up but this time a high fly ball had just enough to clear the wall in right field for a two-run shot. It was Raleigh’s MLB leading 24th home run of the season and put Seattle in front, 3-1.

The lead was gone in the blink of an eye. After walking Jackson Holliday to begin the 6th, Bryan Woo paid for the walk once again as he hung a slider in the middle of the plate to Adley Rutschman. The Oregon native continued to rake in the series as he had just enough power to get one out to right for his seventh home run of the year, tying the game at 3-3. Three pitches later, Gunnar Henderson got to Woo as well as he took a fastball on the inside corner out to right for his eighth long ball of the season. It was a short lived lead for Seattle as they quickly found themselves trailing once again, 4-3.

After that, Seattle mustered only one more hit through the last four innings of the game. Even with Félix Bautista unavailable for Baltimore, they got more than enough from Bryan Baker to shut this one down. A two-out single in the 9th by Miles Mastrobuoni did bring the winning run to the plate, but it was all for not. Dylan Moore was blown away on three pitches to put an end to the miserable homestand with the Mariners getting swept by Baltimore, 4-3.

Notable Performances

Orioles

Mariners

• Cal Raleigh- 2-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, R
• J.P. Crawford- 2-4, 2B, R
• Bryan Woo (L, 5-3)- 6 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO

What’s Next

A 3-6 homestand and a sweep at the hands of the Orioles drop the Mariners to 32-29 as they stay above .500 for the time being. Seattle now sits in second place in the AL West, 1 1/2 games back of Houston. Texas and Los Angeles are both 5 1/2 games behind the Astros while the Athletics continue to freefall as they are now 11 games back in the division.

Seattle will now hit the road for a six-game road trip but don’t have to travel too far for either series. With a 16-12 record on the road, Seattle will try to build momentum away from home and get this team looking like they did in April. First up, a three-game series with the Los Angeles Angels. The two teams have only played a two-game series this season, with Seattle sweeping the short series to end the month of April. Los Angeles (28-33) had won eight consecutive games against the Dodgers, Athletics, and Marlins but since that winning streak ended on May 24th, the Halos are just 3-8. However, they do come in off of a series win in Boston this week.

While he hasn’t necessarily done a ton of damage this season, Nolan Schanuel is a guy that the Mariners really need to worry about keeping off the bases. His .275 average and 56 hits lead the Angels in both categories, but the first baseman has only driven in 18 runs this season. He does however have 32 runs scored which is where he can hurt you. However with the amount of swing and miss in the Angels lineup, second in baseball in strikeouts, if you keep the bases empty for the guy that doesn’t strikeout a ton you will be in good shape. But if you are letting Schanuel hit with runners on and set the table for guys like Taylor Ward, Mike Trout, and Jorge Soler, you are playing with fire.

• Game 1, Friday 6:38pm- Bryce Miller (2-4, 5.36 ERA) vs. Kyle Hendricks (2-6, 5.34 ERA)
• Game 2, Saturday 6:38pm- Luis Castillo (4-3, 3.03 ERA) vs. Jack Kochanowicz (3-7, 5.34 ERA)
• Game 3, Sunday 1:07pm- George Kirby (0-3, 8.56 ERA) vs. Tyler Anderson (2-2, 3.86 ERA)

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