8/13/26

(New York, NY) A tough homestand for the Seattle Mariners really did some damage on the little amounts of hope that the fanbase still had in the 2026 season. With the new acquisitions of Taylor Ward and Seranthony Domínguez not off to tremendous starts, it was more of the same with a lack of offense and a bullpen plagued by injuries adding up to series loss after series loss. A four-game losing streak followed the M’s on the road trip as they visited three different teams that all occupied a playoff spot.

First up was a trip to the Bronx which was arguably the least intimidating series of the trip. The New York Yankees have been hampered by offensive inconsistencies, stemming from injuries to Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger. However, outstanding pitching has kept the Yankees afloat as they own the top AL Wild Card spot while trailing the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East. A hitter friendly park in Yankee Stadium also provided the Bronx Bombers with some sporadic offensive surges benefitted the Yankees which is another reason they have been able to tread water while the Mariners have sunk to the bottom of the playoff race.

Yankees 4, Mariners 1 (Game One, August 11th)

Both starting pitchers had very taxing 1st innings as their pitch count took early hits. Ryan Weathers threw 20 pitches to get three outs plus some help from rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr. who barehanded a ball out of the air that deflected off second base to get Dominic Canzone to end the inning. Bryan Woo threw even more pitches, needing 32 to get out of the 1st. He got in a bit more trouble with a walk to Ben Rice followed by Luis García Jr.’s 21st double of the year. He stranded both runners in scoring position after a flyout to center by Jazz Chisholm Jr. to end a scoreless, but long 1st inning.

Ryan Weathers left two on base in the 2nd after an infield hit by Brendan Donovan and a walk for Weston Wilson. Bryan Woo gave up a leadoff single before striking out Spencer Jones and getting his own defensive help. A deep drive off the bat of Ryan McMahon to right field looked like it was 50/50 on getting out but Taylor Ward made a leaping grab to instead turn it into the second out. The great play by Ward was followed up by a perfect throw from Cal Raleigh to erase George Lombard Jr. trying to steal second to keep things scoreless.

The next few innings were quite easy in comparison for the two starters. Woo did allow another double to Trent Grisham but left him on. The game stayed scoreless into the 6th when Ryan Weathers was the first to blink. Despite allowing just one weak infield hit to that point in the game, Weathers would get beat by the Mariners lone All-Star. Randy Arozarena came to the plate with nobody on and one out and took advantage of a 2-2 sinker in the middle of the plate. Arozarena drove it the other way to the short porch in right for his 15th home run of the year. The solo shot broke the scoreless tie and gave Seattle a 1-0 lead.

2026 road games have been quite the headache for Bryan Woo. He entered the start on Tuesday with an ERA well over 6.00 away from T-Mobile Park but this night was a different story. While he didn’t go as deep into the game due to a high pitch count, Woo was still very good over his five scoreless innings with three hits and one walk allowed while striking out five. Woo was all smiles in the dugout as he watched José A. Ferrer spin a scoreless 6th as Woo hoped to build on this strong road outing.

It was announced after the game that Gabe Speier was unavailable due to some back spasms which shortened the bullpen even more. As a result, Michael Rucker had to come in for the bottom of the 7th and it was a disaster. Rucker struggled, giving up a leadoff double to Luis García Jr. and a single to Jazz Chisholm Jr. to put two on with nobody out. Rucker struck out George Lombard Jr. but Chisholm stole second to erase the double play opportunity. A walk to Spencer Jones loaded the bases and Ryan McMahon cashed in with a two-run single the other way to left field to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead. Eduard Bazardo then came in but didn’t fare much better as he gave up a single to Austin Wells before another two-run single to Trent Grisham as the four-run inning put the Yankees in front 4-1.

Seattle got nothing in the 8th which meant they would have to comeback against David Bednar in the 9th. They would get some traffic aboard as Dominic Canzone reached on an infield single with one out. He was erased as Cole Young hit into a fielder’s choice and Cal Raleigh was the last hope for the M’s. The Big Dumper’s nightmare of a season would continue as he struck out chasing three fastballs above the zone. Bullpen issues and some mismanagement cost Seattle a stellar performance by Bryan Woo as the Mariners dropped their fifth consecutive game, losing to the Yankees 4-1.

Notable Performances

Mariners

Yankees

• Trent Grisham- 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI
• Ryan McMahon- 1-3, 2 RBI, R
• Ryan Weathers (ND)- 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO

Yankees 10, Mariners 5 (Game Two, August 12th)

After a tough loss that mixed both a lack of offense as well as the continued bullpen struggles, the Seattle Mariners looked to avoid a six-game losing streak as they entered game two at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday. Bryce Miller would hope to get back to the form he had when he and Luis Castillo were in the piggyback role while New York had Will Warren on the mound as one of the unsung heroes of the 2026 Yankees.

Seattle saw an offensive outburst early on in this game as the fireworks started early. The first batter to reach base was Cole Young who was on with a with a one-out single. The next batter would be Randy Arozarena and he really got the party started for Seattle. For the second night in a row, Arozarena drove a pitch the other way and over the short porch in right for a two-run shot this time and his 16th of the season. Two batters later, Julio Rodríguez followed in Arozarena’s foot steps with an opposite field blast for his 19th of the year. A couple of long balls early had the Mariners rolling with a 3-0 lead.

Bryce Miller looked very sharp in the bottom of the 1st with a quick 1-2-3 inning to allow the momentum to build for Seattle. A double play ended their 2nd inning threat and New York got their first baserunner in the home half. A two-out single by Jazz Chisholm Jr. ended five in a row retired by Miller and extended the inning for Ryan McMahon. One of the heroes the night before, McMahon got things going for the Yankees with his 12th double of the season. He would get thrown out trying to move up to third, but Chisholm scored prior to the out which got New York on the board, 3-1.

It took exactly eight pitches for the Mariners to get that run back in the 3rd. After Will Warren retired the first two batters in Cole Young and Randy Arozarena, he would fall behind 2-0 to Dominic Canzone who is always ready to do damage. Canzone hammered a changeup out to right field and it was a no-doubter to end J-Rod’s short stint as team leader in homers. It allowed Canzone to also make it 19 home runs on the year and put Seattle back up by three, 4-1.

Things would not remain positive for Seattle as the Yankees continued to put pressure on Bryce Miller in the 3rd. A leadoff double by Austin Wells seemed harmless enough as Miller retired the next two while keeping Wells at second. A walk to the dangerous Ben Rice kept the inning alive for rookie Spencer Jones. A great battle ensued between Miller and Jones that lasted eight pitches. On the final pitch of the AB, Jones won the war with a shot the other way to left field. Both Wells and Rice scored as Jones had his fifth double of the season. The lead remained with the Mariners but the margin was much smaller with the score 4-3.

That remained the score into the 5th where a leadoff walk to Randy Arozarena ended Will Warren’s outing and brought Fernando Cruz into the game. The lefty would record the first out before walking Julio Rodríguez to put two on for Josh Naylor. Naylor has broken out as of late and continued his late surge with a base hit back up the middle, scoring Arozarena and making it 5-3. Tim Hill would then come in and take advantage of Seattle’s double play habits to minimize the damage done by the M’s.

In the bottom of the 5th, things seemed to settle down for Bryce Miller with two quick outs as he looked to maintain control. He would be unsuccessful in doing so as he followed those two outs by giving up a solo home run to Trent Grisham for his 14th of the year to make it a one-run game. Everything fell apart after that. Back-to-back doubles by Ben Rice and Spencer Jones completely erased the lead as two out damage continued to haunt Bryce Miller as the game was tied 5-5.

Bullpens would decide this game as both starters were out of the game with a 5-5 score in the 7th. A walk and an error were left on for the Mariners in the 6th and Gabe Speier made his return in the bottom of the 7th. It didn’t go well. Speier struggled mightily with a single by George Lombard Jr. and an RBI double by Trent Grisham giving New York their first lead at 6-5. Ben Rice kept things rolling with an RBI single before a hit batter and an intentional walk loaded the bases with two outs. Speier was frustrated as he walked in a run with a bases loaded walk to Jazz Chisholm Jr. to make it 8-5. Seranthony Domínguez would come in and recorded the final out but Seattle was in a three-run hole.

Trent Grisham continued to be a thorn in the Mariners side with a two-run shot in the 8th for his 15th home run of the season and second of the game to give him six runs batted in in the series. That blast broke this one open as the Yankees had a commanding 10-5 lead and there was no coming back for the Mariners. Seattle had a couple of singles in the 9th but that was it as they watched the Yankee offense pour it on late once again to give the M’s a 10-5 loss and their first six-game losing streak since May of 2022.

Notable Performances

Mariners

Yankees

• Trent Grisham- 3-5, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R
• Spencer Jones- 2-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI
• Will Warren (ND)- 4 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO

Mariners 1, Yankees 0 (Game Three, August 13th)

With a season-high six-game losing streak, the Seattle Mariners were not off to a promising start on a very difficult nine-game road trip. They would hope to end the first series on a high note and avoid the sweep in the morning finale on Thursday. If manage Dan Wilson could have any starter on the mound in a must-win game, it would be hard to go away from Logan Gilbert who would have the ball for the finale. It would not be easy as one of the top lefties in the game in Max Fried would face a Mariners lineup that has struggled against southpaws all season long.

It was a clean start for both starters with quick innings in the 1st. Max Fried was sharp with his locations early on but made a mistake in the 2nd. With nobody on and two outs, Weston Wilson worked a 2-2 count before a cutter ended up right in the middle of the plate. Knowing there wouldn’t be many mistakes from the lefty, Wilson made sure to take advantage of this one and sent a solo shot to left for his fourth homer of the year. In this strong of a pitching matchup, nobody had Wilson being the guy to get the scoring started yet he had given Seattle a 1-0 lead.

Challenges played a huge role in this one as the Mariners could not miss on their reviews. In the 3rd, New York had something cooking as Ali Sánchez singled with one out and Trent Grisham followed with a double to put two in scoring position. However, Dan Wilson challenged the play at second and although Grisham easily beat the throw, he popped up and off of the bag while Leo Rivas held the tag to record a second out. That allowed Logan Gilbert to strand a runner at third as Ben Rice grounded out to end the inning. Then in the 6th, catcher Jhonny Pereda challenged two called balls that were overturned to strike three to help Gilbert strike out the side. His feel of the zone and the gutsy challenge by Wilson allowed Seattle to continue to lead the game late again.

Logan Gilbert stepped up in a huge way on Thursday with one of his better outings of the year. While he has been the most reliable and consistent starter for the M’s, Gilbert has gone to another level this summer with his eighth quality start since the beginning of June. This one was six scoreless innings with four hits and a walk allowed while striking out seven. He got some help from his catcher late but going up against a very good lefty that was expected to contain the M’s bats, Gilbert was up to the challenge and made the lineup need the bare minimum to earn a win.

Weston Wilson was left stranded in scoring position in the 7th so the bullpen was working with a one-run lead. It has not been a lot of good pitching by the Seattle pen as of late and Eduard Bazardo would try to buck that trend. He recorded two quick outs before running into trouble with back-to-back walks of José Caballero and Ryan McMahon to put the tying run in scoring position and the go-ahead run on. Amed Rosario would pinch hit but before he finished his AB, Caballero stole third to put the tying run 90-feet away. An 0-2 pitch was ruled off the plate but once again it was Jhonny Pereda to the rescue. A third successful challenged turned the ball into strike three and killed another Yankee rally.

José A. Ferrer was sharp with a clean bottom of the 8th but the one run would have to do as the game moved into the bottom of the 9th still 1-0. Andrés Muñoz was on to try to end the six-game slide and he was lights out in this one. Muñoz got a quick groundout of Luis García Jr. before striking out George Lombard Jr. for two quick outs. Jazz Chisholm Jr. had no answers either as Muñoz got him swinging on a slider for a quick ending to this one. While it was another series loss, the six-game losing streak was over as Weston Wilson’s home run held up behind Logan Gilbert to net the Mariners a 1-0 win over the Yankees.

Notable Performances

Mariners

Yankees

• Max Fried (L, 4-4)- 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO
• Luis García Jr.- 2-4, 2B
• Trent Grisham- 1-4

Roster Moves

• SS Colt Emerson optioned to Triple-A Tacoma
• INF Brock Rodden recalled from Triple-A Tacoma

What’s Next

Seattle (57-65) finishes up the first leg of the road trip losing ground in the AL West. That is because the Astros took their three-game series in San Francisco but the Rangers lost three out of four against the Angels. So now Houston leads Texas by two games and Seattle by five while the M’s are now 3 1/2 back of Detroit for the last Wild Card spot after the Tigers overtook the Rangers this week. Texas will visit the Athletics for three this weekend while the Tigers host the White Sox.

This weekend is an opportunity for the Mariners to take care of business themselves as they visit the Houston Astros (62-60) for a three-game series. Seattle and Houston meet just five more times so the M’s have to cash in on opportunities like this if they want to track down the AL West leading Astros. The Mariners are 7-1 against the Astros this season and have already locked up the season series to own the tiebreaker if the teams finish with identical records. However, the Astros are a different team since Seattle last played them back in May. They went 29-21 in June and July but a 6-5 start to August has allowed for both the M’s and Rangers to hang around not too far behind the Astros.

Seattle will unfortunately finally have to face the ace of the Houston Astros in Hunter Brown in the finale on Sunday. After missing all of April and May, Brown returned in June but has not been his usual dominant self. Brown has allowed six home runs in his last 38 1/3 innings and his strikeout numbers have dropped dramatically. His strikeout-to-walk ratio had never dipped below 3.0 in his big league career but in 2026 it is just 1.9. More contact against him and less control has made Brown much less intimidating.

• Game One, Friday 5:10pm- George Kirby (8-9, 3.68 ERA) vs. Peter Lambert (8-6, 3.09 ERA)
• Game Two, Saturday 4:10pm- Emerson Hancock (6-7, 3.35 ERA) vs. Hayden Wesneski (2-0, 3.86 ERA)
• Game Three, Sunday 4:2opm (NBC)- Bryan Woo (8-8, 4.15 ERA) vs. Hunter Brown (3-2, 3.68 ERA)

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