8/10/26

(Seattle, WA) 50 seasons of Seattle Mariners baseball have provided countless memories for fans in the Pacific Northwest. From the early day at the Kingdome with Ruppert Jones and Bruce Bochte, to the first true superstar in Seattle in Mr. Mariner Alvin Davis. Then things got really shaky in the 90s as the team looked to be on its way out of town. Then came a Kid from Pennsylvania as Ken Griffey Jr. led a stacked team with fellow Hall of Famers Edgar Martínez and Randy Johnson along with The Bone, Jay Buhner and a team that just Refused to Lose and saved baseball in Seattle. As that generation left, a new generation with a new face joined and won a record 116 games led by Japanese stars in Ichiro and Kazahiro Sasaki, along with Bret Boone, Mike Cameron, and Seattle’s own John Olerud. A stacked roster of pitchers dot the franchise’s history with Felix Hernandez, Jamie Moyer, Freddy Garcia, and Joel Piñeiro to just name a few.

Celebrated were also current Mariners that will be viewed as legends in the region like Julio Rodríguez, Cal Raleigh, and J.P. Crawford along with the loaded modern staff of Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, Andrés Muñoz, and the recently traded Luis Castillo. Lou Piniella even made a surprise appearance as one more great surprise was in store for the beloved franchise. Rick Rizzs was announced as the newest member of the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame as he is towards the end of his final season in the broadcast booth. The energy was there at T-Mobile Park all weekend long as everyone took a stroll down memory lane.

Looking to spoil the festivities would be the best team in the American League. The Tampa Bay Rays rolled into the Emerald City enjoying another terrific season that was not supposed to be anything special. Once again, the Rays front office has made magic with a group of players that would not seem on paper to be killers. However, one of the best run organizations in sports are once again World Series contenders and looked to down a team that played in the ALCS just one year ago.

Rays 2, Mariners 1 (Game One, August 7th)

To open up the 50th season festivities, the Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays began their three-game series on Friday night on national TV. With the game on Apple TV, the M’s and Rays had the whole country watching as Logan Gilbert took the ball for the Mariners against dominant right-hander Drew Rasmussen for the Rays.

Things started out quiet on Friday night as neither team had much going in the 1st inning. In the 2nd we would have our first fireworks of the night but it would come from the visitors. With nobody on and one out, Jonny DeLuca came to the plate against Gilbert and took a first pitch ball to get ahead in the count. The next pitch was a heater right down the middle and DeLuca crushed it out to center for a solo shot and his eighth home run of the season. The unlikely power bat gave Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead.

Seattle put together a threat in the home half of the inning on a single by Julio Rodríguez and a walk for Josh Naylor to put two on with one out. Rasmussen responded with a critical strikeout of Brendan Donovan but did himself no favors by walking Cal Raleigh to load the bases. Colt Emerson came to the plate and despite having a strong first few weeks in the big leagues, has not done much since. He went down quickly and quietly on three pitches to put an abrupt end to the Seattle threat as Drew Rasmussen kept the M’s off the board.

Logan Gilbert did not have his best stuff on Friday night but also dealt with mostly self-induced troubles. The tall right-hander allowed as many walks as he did hits but the problem was that two of the hits left the yard. In the 3rd, Jonathan Aranda stepped in with the bases empty and two outs and delivered some more fireworks for the Rays. A first pitch slider was crushed out to right 373-feet for his 15th long ball of the season. Another solo shot built on the Rays lead and made it 2-0.

Seattle caught a bit of a break as a run would was cut down at the plate in the 5th to keep it just 2-0. The bad news was that the Mariners could not get anything done against Drew Rasmussen. The righty was completely dominant against the Mariners from start to finish. Seattle managed just two hits in seven shutout innings by Rasmussen with two walks and eight strikeouts. It was a lot of swing and miss mixed with weak contact as Seattle’s lineup continued to struggle mightily.

Logan Gilbert gave the M’s a chance as he only allowed Tampa Bay to score two runs, both coming on solo shots. It would not be a shutout as Julio Rodríguez launched his 18th home run of the season with two outs in the 9th to give the Mariners a chance with a one-run game. Unfortunately, that was all for the Mariners as Bryan Baker struck out Josh Naylor looking to end it. It was a disappointing start to the weekend full of festivities as the Mariners lost game one to the Rays, 2-1.

Notable Performances

Rays

Mariners

• Julio Rodríguez- 2-4, HR, RBI, R
• Logan Gilbert (L, 8-7)- 6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 SO
• Colt Emerson- 1-3

Rays 3, Mariners 2 (Game Two, August 8th)

Pregame was special before game two of the three-game series between the Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays. Before first pitch, the Mariners honored the 50 greatest players in franchise history with a couple of surprises along the way. Legendary manager Lou Piniella surprised everyone by throwing out the first pitch as the all-time leader in wins in franchise history. Legendary broadcaster Rick Rizzs was also surprised as he was named the newest member of the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame as he comes up on the end of his final year in the booth. It was a special trip down memory lane but gave way to yet another 9 innings of disappointment on the field.

The Seattle Mariners were once again just a few outs away from a much-needed victory.

But for the second straight night, the Tampa Bay Rays found a way to make the big plays when it mattered most.

Tampa Bay rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Mariners on Saturday night at T-Mobile Park, taking the first two games of the series and putting Seattle on the brink of a three-game sweep.

The Mariners grabbed an early lead and appeared to have the Rays right where they wanted them. Seattle’s pitching kept Tampa Bay’s offense relatively quiet for much of the night, but the Rays eventually found their opening in the sixth inning.

Richie Palacios provided the biggest blow of the night.

With Tampa Bay trailing, Palacios delivered a two-run single in the sixth inning to give the Rays a 3-2 lead. That proved to be the difference as Tampa Bay’s bullpen took over from there.

Victor Mesa Jr. also gave the Rays a huge moment earlier in the game, launching a home run that helped keep Tampa Bay within striking distance.

Seattle’s offense, meanwhile, struggled to create much against a Tampa Bay pitching staff that continued to make big pitches in critical situations.

The Rays were forced into an unusual pitching situation before the game even began. Griffin Jax had been scheduled to start but was scratched because of discomfort in his right elbow. Tampa Bay instead turned to Casey Legumina as an opener and ultimately used seven different pitchers throughout the night.

That bullpen strategy worked.

Once Tampa Bay grabbed the lead, Seattle could not find the big hit needed to answer.

The Mariners had opportunities late, but the Rays continued to slam the door. Bryan Baker came on to record his 34th save of the season, putting the finishing touches on another one-run victory for Tampa Bay.

For Seattle, the loss was another frustrating example of how little margin for error there has been lately.

The Mariners had taken a 1-0 loss in Friday night’s series opener despite a strong pitching performance from Tampa Bay’s Drew Rasmussen. On Saturday, Seattle again had the lead but couldn’t hold it, falling 3-2.

Notable Performances

Rays

Mariners

• Josh Naylor- 3-4, 2B, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB
• George Kirby (ND)- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO
• Cole Young- 1-4

Rays 4, Mariners 1 (Game Three, August 9th)

The Seattle Mariners had one final opportunity to salvage their series against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Instead, the Rays finished off the sweep.

Tampa Bay rallied from an early deficit and defeated Seattle 4-1 on Sunday afternoon at T-Mobile Park, completing a three-game sweep and handing the Mariners their fourth consecutive loss.

Seattle struck first in the opening inning, giving the home crowd hope that the Mariners could finally break through against the American League’s best team. But that lead would not last.

Tampa Bay answered in the middle innings, with Cedric Mullins delivering the go-ahead RBI single in the fifth inning. The Rays then added two more runs in the sixth, highlighted by Liam Hicks’ two-run double off José A. Ferrer, to take control of the game.

While the Mariners pitching staff kept Seattle within striking distance for much of the afternoon, the offense simply could not provide enough support.

Tampa Bay starter Ian Seymour was a major reason why.

Seymour worked six innings, allowing just one run on five hits while striking out seven. After Seattle’s early run, the left-hander settled in and repeatedly kept the Mariners from putting together a sustained rally.

Seattle starter Emerson Hancock battled through the afternoon but was unable to match Seymour’s performance. Hancock surrendered two runs on nine hits over 4 2/3 innings before turning the game over to the bullpen.

The Mariners’ offense never found its rhythm after the first few innings. Seattle managed only two singles and a walk after the second inning, allowing Tampa Bay’s pitching staff to protect its lead with relative ease.

The loss capped a frustrating weekend for Seattle which was supposed to be a joyous celebration of 50 years of baseball in the city. Instead, it turned into a reminded that the M’s have failed to live up to hype and potential so many times.

For Seattle, the sweep comes at a particularly difficult time. The Mariners have now dropped four straight games and scored just four runs during that stretch.

Meanwhile, the Rays continued their remarkable run. Tampa Bay improved to 71-46 and extended its winning streak to six games while maintaining the best record in the American League.

For the Mariners, the message coming out of this weekend is simple: something has to change.

Seattle has struggled to consistently produce offensively, and against a team as complete as Tampa Bay, those struggles were magnified. The Mariners had opportunities throughout the weekend but could never string together enough big hits to turn those opportunities into victories.

Now, with the Rays leaving town with a sweep, Seattle has to find a way to regroup quickly.

The season isn’t over.

But the margin for error is getting smaller.

Notable Performances

Rays

Mariners

• Cole Young- 2-4, RBI
• Taylor Ward- 1-5, 3B, R
• Emerson Hancock (L, 6-7)- 4.2 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO

What’s Next

Things couldn’t be worse for the Seattle Mariners (56-63) as they drop to a season worst seven games below .500. To make matters even worse, the Mariners must now go on the road for the next nine games against three teams currently occupying playoff spots. Houston did lose their weekend series in San Diego while Texas took two of three from Baltimore. The Athletics did win their series in Boston while the Angels dropped theirs in Miami. Houston remains atop the AL West, half of a game ahead of Texas and four ahead of Seattle as Houston goes to San Francisco while Texas visits the LA Angels.

For the Mariners, they begin a nine-game road trip with three in the Bronx to take on the New York Yankees. Seattle is 23-34 on the road, which is one of the worst road records in baseball. New York has just been treading water lately but still hold the top Wild Card spot in the American League. The Yankees did take two out of three in Seattle in the second series of the season but the team looks very different now. Aaron Judge has not played since May 31st and they are also without Cody Bellinger for this series. New York did make some moves at the deadline, acquiring San Francisco outfielder Heliot Ramos and Washington slugger Luis García Jr. so things have balanced out for the Yankees.

One slugger that has been healthy and has enjoyed a breakout season is Ben Rice. The team leader in home runs (32) and runs batted in (75) has been a steady bat which was desperately needed with the injuries the team has dealt with. The 27-year-old is firmly in the MVP race although he trails Yordan Alvarez but is still one of the best hitters in the sport. With that being said, Rice has been terrible in eight games in August, batting just .077 and an OPS of .418. He did terrorize the Mariners back in March and April, going 5-9 two doubles, a homer, and three runs batted in. There is now some protection around Rice for the first time since Judge went on the IL, but Seattle better hope his struggles continue for at least three more games.

• Game One, Tuesday 4:05pm- Bryan Woo (8-8, 4.31 ERA) vs. Ryan Weathers (5-7, 3.79 ERA)
• Game Two, Wednesday 4pm (ESPN)- Bryce Miller (4-6, 3.08 ERA) vs. Will Warren (8-6, 4.18 ERA)
• Game Three, Thursday 10:35am- Logan Gilbert (8-7, 3.42 ERA) vs. Max Fried (4-3, 2.88 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 (Won Series @ Las Vegas Aviators, L 10-8, W 16-10, W 10-6, L 4-2, W 4-2, W 8-5)

Hitter of the Series

Lazaro Montes, OF- 10-26, 2B, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 9 R, 4 BB

Pitcher of the Series

Reid VanScoter, LHP- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO

Arkansas Travelers (Split Series vs. Amarillo Sod Poodles, L 3-1, L 5-2, W 4-1, W 4-0, L 8-4, W 5-2)

Hitter of the Series

Boston Smith, C- 8-21, 5 HR, 9 RBI, 6 R, 3 BB

Pitcher of the Series

Adam Leverett, SP- 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO

Everett AquaSox (Lost Series vs. Vancouver Canadians, W 13-0, L 6-3, W 4-3, L 7-4, L 11-8, L 9-3)

Hitter of the Series

Aiden Taurek, OF- 8-22, 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 3 R, 3 BB

Pitcher of the Series

Adam Maier, SP- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

Inland Empire 66ers (Won Series vs. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, L 8-6, W 3-1, W 2-1, W 6-3, W 6-4, W 6-5)

Hitter of the Series

Henry Ford, 3B- 5-15, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 4 R, BB, SB

Pitcher of the Series

Jack Bowery, RHP- 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO

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