4/8/26

(Arlington, TX) 2026 has not been a friendly year for the Seattle Mariners but just a week and a half into the season, the M’s would hope to breakout of their early season rut with a three-game series with the Texas Rangers. Still in search of their first series win of the season, Seattle has had one glaring flaw to start the season and that would be their offense. Without run support, their strong rotation is tasked with being perfect so until the bats wake up, low scoring games will be the Mariners best shot to win games.

Texas would have the luxury of lining up their best three starting pitchers for this series with Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, and MacKenzie Gore making starts in their first AL West matchup of the season. After a great 4-1 start, Texas entered the series on a four-game losing streak including being swept in their first home series of the season. They would hope to erase the dominance Seattle has had against them the last few seasons in this early season matchup.

Rangers 2, Mariners 1 (Game One, April 6th)

Runs would not be easy to come by in this series with three incredible pitching matchups on the slate. To open up the series it would be Seattle’s Opening Day starter in Logan Gilbert taking the bump for the third time this season. Still looking for his first win, Gilbert would need to outduel future Hall of Famer in Jacob deGrom who would look to capitalize on the offensive struggles for the M’s.

There hasn’t been a lot to cheer for for Mariner fans to start the season but they got some reason for optimism in the top of the 1st. Cal Raleigh came to the plate with nobody on and one out and battled with deGrom as the two-time Cy Young winner couldn’t put away the Big Dumper. A 12-pitch battle ensued and was finally won by Raleigh in a big way. Cal shot his first home run out to right field as a sigh of relief was had by the entire PNW. The battle being won by Raleigh added to it as Seattle grabbed a 1-0 lead.

Logan Gilbert couldn’t make that lead last for long as Texas ambushed him in the 1st. A one-out double by Wyatt Langford put the tying run in scoring position just eight pitches into the half inning. Corey Seager followed and although he showed some rare patience at the plate, the star shortstop came through with a groundball into right field for a base hit. Langford scored without a throw and just like that the game was even at 1-1.

Jacob deGrom really settled in after that for Texas as he continued to torture the Mariners as so many pitchers have done this season. He did not allow another hit after the Raleigh home run and just allowed two more baserunners, one via a walk and one reaching on an error. He was effective as he kept the M’s off-balance and continued to beat them with velocity, which has been a common problem for the M’s so far this season.

Logan Gilbert was also dialed in after the 1st and despite allowing a double in the 5th to Joc Pederson, matched deGrom zero for zero into the 6th. That was when Texas would break the tie. Gilbert got Brandon Nimmo to flyout to right and then struck out Wyatt Langford for a quick two outs. Corey Seager extended the inning with a single to right and he advanced on a wild pitch by Logan Gilbert. Texas made Seattle pay for that one mistake as Jake Burger smoked a liner over Randy Arozarena’s head in left. Seager scored as Burger moved to second with his fourth double of the year, giving the Rangers a 2-1 lead.

Seattle would have to get the job done against the Rangers bullpen but alas the offense continued to be terrible. Randy Arozarena singled in the 7th but was left stranded and Jakob Junis came in for the 9th. Seattle would get a baserunner in the final frame as Julio Rodríguez was hit by a pitch to put the tying run with one out. With speed on base, the M’s had a shot but it was quickly shutdown as Josh Naylor sent a grounder to Jake Burger at first. A 3-6-3 double play put the M’s away as they lost their third game in a row by one run in a 2-1 series opening defeat.

Notable Performances

Mariners

Rangers

• Jacob deGrom (ND)- 5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO
• Corey Seager- 2-3, RBI, R, BB
• Jake Burger- 1-4, 2B, RBI

Rangers 3, Mariners 2 (Game Two, April 7th)

Three consecutive losses all coming by one run had the Seattle Mariners pretty demoralized as they entered game two of their three-game series with the Texas Rangers. With that in the back of their minds, every single run was magnified as George Kirby took the mound in game 2. Seattle had never lost a game against the Rangers in which George Kirby started. Things would not get easier for the Seattle lineup as they squared off against Nathan Eovaldi for Texas as they looked to earn the series win early.

For the second consecutive game the M’s would strike in the 1st inning. Unlike the opener, this time they only needed one pitch as Brendan Donovan got the action started before all the fans had even made it to their seats. A rocket out to right field would clear the fence for the third home run of the season for Donovan. One pitch in and Seattle already had as many runs as they had in the opening game with a 1-0 lead.

George Kirby would protect that lead for awhile as he looked sharp, living in the zone as always. Texas came in with an aggressive approach and did make some hard contact but Seattle’s defense looked sharp early. J.P. Crawford flashed the leather and a couple of double plays would help Kirby escape a little bit of trouble in this one as they searched for more offense.

It didn’t look like the 5th would be an inning where Seattle added on as Eovaldi retired J.P. Crawford and Dominic Canzone for two quick outs. Cole Young would keep the inning alive with a single to center and moved up to second on a wild pitch. After Brendan Donovan worked a walk, Cal Raleigh would continue to build some momentum for himself. It wasn’t a hard hit ball, but a bloop single would drop into right center for a base hit. Young came around to score as Seattle cashed in on a two-out rally to take a 2-0 lead.

Texas would get their breakthrough against Kirby in the home half of the 5th as they never allowed the Mariners to get comfortable. A grounder by Joc Pederson to third turned into a de facto double as Donovan made a throwing error to give Pederson second base. Evan Carter made that error hurt as he singled to right to bring home Pederson and make it 2-1. What came next hurt much more. Kyle Higashioka came to the plate and took advantage of a sinker in the middle of the plate from Kirby. Higashioka drove his first home run of the season out to left field to knock the wind out of the Mariners and give Texas a 3-2 lead.

Seattle put two on with two outs in the 6th, but Eovaldi got Dominic Canzone to groundout to escape the jam and end his day. The bats could do nothing against Jacob Latz as they remained down 3-2 as George Kirby continued to eat innings away. He would end up going 8 innings and allowed three runs on six hits with no walks and four strikeouts. A costly error really hurt his line but the fifth-year starter once again gave the M’s a chance to win.

With just three outs to play with Seattle needed to push across a run in the 9th to extend the game against Jakob Junis. A grounder down the left field line by Luke Raley looked to be a leadoff double, but Raley thought he missed first base and had to turn around and settle for a single instead. That is just how things have gone for the Mariners so far in 2026. J.P. Crawford did move him up with a base hit to center but Junis got back-to-back flyouts from Dominic Canzone and Cole Young. Brendan Donovan would hit a soft grounder back in front of the plate, and after a review it was confirmed that Kyle Higashioka made the throw to first in time to put the M’s away once again. A fourth consecutive loss by a single run had the Mariners searching for answers as they fell in game two, 3-2.

Notable Performances

Mariners

Rangers

• Kyle Higashioka- 2-3, HR, 2 RBI, R
• Evan Carter- 1-3, RBI, R
• Nathan Eovaldi (W, 1-2)- 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO

Rangers 3, Mariners 0 (Game Three, April 8th)

After winning the first game of their six-game road trip, the Seattle Mariners entered the final game of the trip on a four-game losing streak with all four of those losses coming by just a single run. That resulted in added pressure on every pitcher that took the mound for the Mariners and Bryan Woo would have the ball in the finale looking to be the stopper to Seattle’s skid. Once again, Texas had a perfect counter as lefty MacKenzie Gore would have the ball in the final game and with Seattle’s struggles against lefties so far this season, another low-scoring game seemed inevitable.

MacKenzie Gore was a little wild in the 1st and walked a couple of batters as Rob Refsnyder settled for a walk after just pulling a home run foul. Julio Rodríguez also reached via a walk to put two on with just one out. Just like the rest of this road trip, Seattle couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity. Randy Arozarena and Brendan Donovan both went down on strikes to let Gore off the hook.

Bryan Woo clearly did not have his best stuff but he was still very good on Wednesday afternoon. There was some solid contact from the Rangers but with the roof closed at Globe Life Field, the fly balls continued to die in the outfield for flyouts. One did have enough juice to leave though as Josh Smith led off the 3rd with a deep drive into right field. Rob Refsnyder showed that he can be a solid defensive piece as he reached up and brought the home run back in his best Jo Adell impression. Woo was wowed by his right fielder bailing him out to keep the game scoreless.

Seattle didn’t have a hit until Mitch Garver singled to begin the 5th. A double play erased him and then Seattle would once again make a mistake to let the Rangers strike. Back-to-back singles by Danny Jansen and Josh Smith put two on for Texas. Ezequiel Durán singled to load the bases for the top of the order in Brandon Nimmo. The new Ranger rolled over on a soft grounder to Connor Joe at first base. Joe would come home with it to try to cut down a run, but his throw was way offline. Not only did Jansen score, but the error allowed Smith to score as well. A Corey Seager sacrifice fly added on one more for Texas to take a 3-0 lead.

Bullpens took over after that and there was almost no offense to speak of after that. Seattle’s relievers kept the deficit at 3-0 but the bats couldn’t cut into it at all. In the 9th, Cole Winn would look to close out a sweep for the Rangers but a Cole Young leadoff single put some pressure on early. That spark died quickly as Luke Raley, Cal Raleigh, and Julio Rodríguez were all retired quickly to put the Mariners out of their misery. While it wouldn’t be by one run, it was still a fifth consecutive loss for the Mariners as they were swept by the Rangers 3-0 to complete a terrible 1-5 road trip.

Notable Performances

Mariners

Rangers

• MacKenzie Gore (W, 2-0)- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 SO
• Josh Smith- 2-3, R
• Danny Jansen- 1-2, R, BB

Roster Moves

• OF Victor Robles placed on 10-Day IL (Right Pec Strain)
• Seattle selected the contract of OF Connor Joe from Tacoma
• Transfer RHP Carlos Vargas to 60-Day IL (Right Lat Strain)
• 3B Miles Mastrobuoni sent on rehab assignment to Triple A Tacoma

What’s Next

After an abysmal road trip, the Seattle Mariners (4-9) will now return home for a short four-game series while owning the worst record in MLB. Seattle is last in offense too hitting an atrocious .184 as a team while the second lowest batting average for a team is the Angels with a .201 team average. Seattle sits in last place in the AL West with Texas leading the division as one of only three teams in the American League with a winning record. The Angels and Astros are tied for second at 6-7 after the Halos dropped two of three against Atlanta and Houston was swept by Colorado. The A’s sit at 4-7 and will play the rubber game of their three-game series with the Yankees on Thursday afternoon.

Seattle will continue their AL West gauntlet with a four-game series at home with the Houston Astros over the weekend and into Monday. The top two teams in the AL West last season are both struggling coming into the series as Seattle rides a five-game losing streak while Houston has lost five of their last six to the A’s and Rockies and injuries are starting to pile up. Seattle will not face the Houston ace in Hunter Brown who landed on the 15-day IL last weekend with a shoulder strain and Christian Javier exited in the 2nd inning of his start on Wednesday. However, Houston has hit the ball exceptionally well as they lead all of baseball in hits and runs scored.

A big reason for Houston’s success on offense is a healthy Yordan Alvarez but the biggest reason in my eyes is the bounce back of Christian Walker. Houston’s big offseason acquisition after the 2024 campaign, Walker struggled mightily in his first season with the Astros with his worst OPS since his injury plagued 2021 season. Walker is going scorched earth to start this season, batting .340 with a 1.040 OPS and three home runs and 13 runs batted in. Houston missed that big bat in the middle of the lineup to consistently drive in runs last season, but Walker has cut down on the strikeouts to help put the ball in play and score runs. Seattle pitching can’t expect the swing and miss against Walker as he has struck out just seven times in 13 games. In comparison, in his first 13 games last season Walker struck out 18 times.

• Game 1, Friday 6:40pm- Tatsuya Imai (1-0, 4.32 ERA) vs. Emerson Hancock (1-1, 0.71 ERA)
• Game 2, Saturday 6:40pm- Lance McCullers (1-0, 3.27 ERA) vs. Luis Castillo (0-0, 2.79 ERA)
• Game 3, Sunday 1:10pm- TBD (Injury to Hunter Brown) vs. Logan Gilbert (0-2, 5.40 ERA)
• Game 4, Monday 1:10pm- Mike Burrows (1-2, 5.63 ERA) vs. George Kirby (1-2, 3.60 ERA)

Mariners Minor League Update

This will be a new segment each week to update what is going on in the Seattle minor league system. We will continuously give scores for each team but will also highlight some of the key players that have had strong series. The Double A and Single A seasons both got going so we will have updates on all the teams below.

Tacoma Rainiers (Lost Series vs. El Paso Chihuahuas, L 6-4, W 3-1, L 10-5, L 5-2, L 2-1, W 6-5)

Hitter of the Series

Patrick Wisdom, DH- 6-19, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 4 R, 4 BB

Pitcher of the Series

Gunnar Mayer, RHP- 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO

Arkansas Travelers (Lost Series @ Midland RockHounds, L 5-1, L 5-4, L 4-2)

Hitter of the Series

Jared Sundstrom, OF- 3-10, HR, 2 RBI, R, 2 BB, 2 SB, Outfield Assist

Pitcher of the Series

Kade Anderson, SP- 4 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

Everett AquaSox (Lost Series @ Spokane Indians, L 4-1, W 3-2, L 10-9 (10 Innings))

Hitter of the Series

Matthew Ellis, DH- 3-9, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB

Pitcher of the Series

Brock Moore, RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO, Save

Inland Empire 66ers (Lost Series @ Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, L 4-2, L 4-3, L 12-6)

Hitter of the Series

Ricardo Cova, INF- 7-13, 3B, HR, RBI, 3 R

Pitcher of the Series

Jackson Steensma, RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

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