5/24/26

(Kansas City, MO) The Seattle Mariners hit the road after what was a disappointing homestand despite winning the final series of the homestand over the Chicago White Sox. The ups and downs of the first month and a half of the season has seen not too much bad or too much good from the M’s as they continue to hover around .500. They lost three series in a row in April and won back-to-back series on the road in St. Louis and at Minnesota, but other than that they have alternated wins and losses in series.

Hitting the road for a six-game trip, the M’s would hope to win back-to-back series for the second time this season against a team that swept them at the beginning of the month. Seattle would head to Kansas City to begin the trip for a three-game set with the struggling Royals. Kansas City has fallen off a cliff since sweeping the M’s, going 5-11 since that trip to the PNW. Pitching injuries and massive struggles with runners in scoring position have been big issues that the Mariners would hope to take advantage of.

Mariners 2, Royals 0 (Game One, May 22nd)

The Seattle Mariners leaned on dominant pitching and one big swing Friday night, shutting out the Kansas City Royals 2-0 at Kauffman Stadium.

For six innings, it looked like the game might turn into a frustrating night for Seattle’s offense. Royals starter Noah Cameron was outstanding, piling up eight strikeouts and keeping Mariners hitters off balance with a sharp curveball. But in the seventh inning, veteran catcher/designated hitter Mitch Garver finally broke the deadlock with a two-run homer that barely cleared the wall in left-center. That blast accounted for all the offense Seattle would need.

On the mound, Logan Gilbert delivered one of his sharper outings of the season for Seattle. The right-hander worked 5.2 scoreless innings, struck out six, and consistently escaped trouble before handing the game over to the Mariners bullpen. Seattle’s relievers finished the shutout, continuing what has quietly become one of the club’s strengths this season.

Kansas City had a few opportunities late, especially in the eighth inning when they put runners aboard, but the heart of the order couldn’t cash in. Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino both came up empty in key spots as the Royals’ offensive slump continued. The Royals finished with only four singles and were shut out for the latest time in a rough stretch that has seen them struggle badly at the plate.

The win gave Seattle a strong start to the series and a little revenge after Kansas City swept the Mariners earlier this month in Seattle.

Notable Performances

Mariners

Royals

• Noah Cameron (ND)- 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO
• Maikel García- 2-4
• Vinnie Pasquantino- 1-3, BB

Royals 5, Mariners 0 (Game Two, May 23rd)

Notable Performances

Mariners

Royals

• Stephen Kolek (W, 3-0)- 9 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO
• Carter Jensen- 1-2, 2 RBI, R, BB
• Bobby Witt Jr.- 2-4, 2 R, SB

Royals 8, Mariners 6 (Game Three, May 24th)

The Mariners nearly pulled off a dramatic comeback on Sunday, May 24, but the Royals held on for an 8–6 win to take the series at Kauffman Stadium.

Seattle actually struck first in the opening inning when Julio Rodríguez launched a leadoff home run, giving the Mariners an early 1–0 edge and briefly shifting momentum after their shutout loss the day before. But Kansas City starter Seth Lugo settled in quickly, limiting damage through 6⅓ innings.

The game turned in the fifth inning. Seattle starter Bryan Woo cruised through four scoreless frames before Kansas City erupted for four runs. After an error and a bunt single opened the door, veteran catcher Salvador Perez ripped a two-run single to give the Royals the lead. Rookie Carter Jensen followed with a two-run double that suddenly made it 4–1 Royals.

Kansas City kept adding on from there. Perez finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs, while Maikel Garcia added two more RBIs late in the game. The Royals scored in four consecutive innings and built an 8–3 cushion heading into the ninth.

Seattle’s offense woke up late and nearly stole the game. Rookie infielder Colt Emerson had a breakout performance, going 4-for-4 with three doubles and an RBI. Rodríguez added another hit and finished with two runs scored, while the Mariners pushed across three runs in the ninth inning to bring the tying run to the plate. But Royals closer Lucas Erceg escaped the jam to secure the 8–6 victory.

The loss dropped Seattle to 25–29 and capped another frustrating series against Kansas City, which improved to 5–1 against the Mariners in 2026. Despite the defeat, Emerson’s breakout day and Rodríguez’s early homer were bright spots for a Mariners lineup that had struggled badly for most of the weekend.

Notable Performances

Mariners

Royals

• Salvador Perez- 3-4, 3 RBI, R
• Maikel García- 2-5, 2 RBI
• Seth Lugo (W, 2-4)- 6.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

Roster Moves

• OF Victor Robles activated from 10-day IL
• OF Connor Joe optioned to Triple-A Tacoma

What’s Next

With the series loss, Seattle (25-29) has still won back-to-back series just once this season and have not won three games in a row since that same stretch when they swept St. Louis. Fortunately for the M’s, the Athletics dropped two of three to San Diego while the Rangers were swept by the Angels. The Astros have been surging lately and continued to do so with a sweep of the Cubs as well. The A’s still lead the AL West by 2 1/2 games over Seattle and Texas while Houston is 4 1/2 back and Los Angeles 7 1/2 back. The Astros will visit the Rangers for a four-game set this week while the Angels visit the struggling Tigers for three.

There will be a chance for the Mariners to cut into their division deficit or take over first place with a sweep when they head to Sacramento for a three-game series with the Athletics. One of the more surprising teams this season, the A’s (27-26) have been atop the AL West since April 25th when they took sole possession from Texas. The A’s have struggled this month much like the rest of the division with just two series wins and a 9-12 record but are 11-6 against the AL West. The A’s took two of three in the lone series against the M’s this season in Seattle back on April 20th-22nd.

Do not mention anything about a sophomore slump when talking about Nick Kurtz. The franchise cornerstone has continued to dominate at the plate after winning the 2025 AL Rookie of the Year. He currently has the 4th best odds to win AL MVP with a .290/.448/.489 slash line with eight homers and 37 runs batted in. He will be hitting second most of the time in the A’s order with a chance to do damage or set the table much like J-Rod does with the M’s. Kurtz has reached base in 47 consecutive games which is tied with Jimmie Foxx for the third longest in franchise history. The last time he didn’t reach base was March 31st. While he hasn’t homered in the last nine games, Kurtz has driven in eight runs over that span so he is still more than capable of doing damage.

• Game 1, Monday 6:40pm- Luis Castillo (1-5, 6.41 ERA) vs. Aaron Civale (5-1, 3.31 ERA)
• Game 2, Tuesday 6:40pm- Emerson Hancock (3-2, 3.07 ERA) vs. Luis Severino (2-5, 4.23 ERA)
• Game 3, Wednesday 12:05pm- Logan Gilbert (2-4, 4.04 ERA) vs. Jeffrey Springs (3-5, 4.11 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.

Tacoma Rainiers (Lost Series @ Salt Lake Bees, L 7-5, W 13-1, L 8-3, L 9-3, L 6-5, L 12-8)

Hitter of the Series

Colin Davis, OF- 12-23, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 10 R, 5 BB,

Pitcher of the Series

Casey Lawrence, RHP- 6.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO

Arkansas Travelers (Won Series vs. Springfield Cardinals, W 3-2, W 10-0, L 5-3, W 14-0, L 6-0, W 3-1)

Hitter of the Series

Charlie Pagliarini, 3B- 7-17, 2B, 3B, HR, 8 RBI, 4 R, 3 BB

Pitcher of the Series

Adam Leverett, RHP- 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO

Everett AquaSox (Lost Series vs. Tri-Cities Dust Devils, L 9-2, L 12-4, W 10-5, W 8-4, L 7-4, L 6-3)

Hitter of the Series

Jonny Farmelo, OF- 6-18, 3B, RBI, 6 R, 5 BB, SB

Pitcher of the Series

Reid Eastlerly, LHP- 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

Inland Empire 66ers (Lost Series vs. Ontario Tower Buzzers, L 12-4, W 12-8, L 13-10, W 17-3, L 5-1, L 17-9)

Hitter of the Series

Korbyn Dickerson, OF- 8-23, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 6 R, SB

Pitcher of the Series

Sean Hermann, RHP- 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 11 SO

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