The Mariners stored ‘00s weekend running with a Monday dismantling of the Reds re-enacting Evanescence’s 2003 three debut single “Bring Me To Life.”
This season followers have bemoaned lifeless at-bats and flat outings, begging the workforce that electrified town final summer season to present some semblance of their former selves. Now that I do know what I’m with out/You can’t simply depart me. And but so usually the 2026 membership has left followers in the dead of night, after providing a tantalizing style of playoff baseball final season. Now followers know what they’ve been with out, making the style of failure that’s characterised a lot of 2026 all of the extra bitter.
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In an extra-cruel accident, one of many largest accountings for that delta in efficiency has been the feeling of the 2025 season, their All-Star switch-hitting catcher, residence run derby champ, iron man-redux Cal Raleigh, who has gone from appointment viewing at-bats to physician’s appointments adopted by “I might rather be at a dentist appointment than watching this at-bat.” It’s been brutal and irritating each for the followers and for Raleigh himself.
When the Mariners got here out of the break with a 0-7 shutout loss in a dull displaying towards the dismal Giants, it felt just like the nightmare of 2026 can be persevering with. But to their credit score, the Mariners perked up and gained the final two video games of the collection, coming into as we speak having gained three of their final 4 video games, a speaking level repeated by a number of members of the workforce after yesterday’s win.
Today the Mariners stored the momentum rolling, once more scoring through each small ball and the lengthy ball, the identical means they gained Sunday’s contest. And what an extended ball it was: this grand slam by Cal Raleigh, after Terry Francona and the Reds had deliberately walked Dom Canzone – a seemingly extra favorable left-on-left matchup with former Mariner and member of the 2025 playoff workforce Caleb Ferguson on the mound – to get to Cal Raleigh with the bases loaded with one out. The Reds, as Dan Wilson charitably defined postgame, had been seemingly trying to arrange an inning-ending double play.
That didn’t occur.
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But let’s again up somewhat, as a result of despite the fact that this slam put the sport out of attain, the Mariners had been going to win this recreation anyway thanks to some small ball manufacturing of runs, making the most of miscues by the Reds, and a few dominant pitching from starter George Kirby.
George Kirby didn’t have pinpoint command within the first regardless of throwing 4 of 4 first-pitch strikes, strolling leadoff man Elly De La Cruz and going to a full depend on former Athletic JJ Bleday, who got here into this recreation sporting a 1.56 OPS towards Kirby. But Kirby neutralized Bleday on a innocent flyout, identical to he’d go on to neutralize the Reds for the remainder of the night time, even when it wasn’t his most dominant outing.
The Mariners received some site visitors within the second as a result of that’s when Cole Young was due up to bat. With two outs, Young labored a really good seven-pitch stroll off the lefty Andrew Abbott, and superior to second on somewhat dunk base hit from Victor Robles, who understands his job description proper now could be 50% “Play Outfield, Don’t Get Hurt” and 50% “Hit Righthandedly.” But Buddy Kennedy, getting the beginning over Weston Wilson, struck out to finish the menace.
It regarded just like the Reds would punish the Mariners for not taking benefit there within the prime of the third. George Kirby threw two pitches and like magic – tonight was Harry Potter Night on the park, so go determine – had two baserunners on with no outs. Things received somewhat extra scorching water (or dogwater, as Angie would say) when Josh Naylor threw too excessive to Colt Emerson on a possible double play, giving Kirby only one out as a substitute of two, however Sal Stewart flew out softly to proper discipline and former Mariners prospect Edwin Arroyo made the head-scratching determination to attempt to rating, as a substitute being simply thrown out at residence to finish the inning.
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The previous saying (slash bastardization of a quote attributed to Napoleon) is that you just don’t interrupt your enemy once they’re making a mistake, and the Mariners had been completely happy to let the Reds carry on making errors. In the fifth inning, Victor Robles led off the inning with a single, his second hit of the sport, after which was gifted third base by a foul throw from catcher Tyler Stephenson on a stolen base try. Randy Arozarena does get credit score right here for retaining the inning alive with a two-inning stroll, mentioning Julio Rodríguez, who hit into what ought to have been an inning-ending changeup, chasing after the identical pitch he’d struck out on in his first at-bat, solely to have Elly De La Cruz mishandle it and permit the run to rating (it was dominated an infield hit. It was not.).
Because there’s a value to chaos magic – as those that purchased a ticket to Harry Potter Night can attest – the baseball gods dominated that Julio had to pay a worth, and that worth was getting hit within the Lomas de Cabrera by the errant throw whereas additionally perhaps pulling one thing attempting to beat out the throw. Dan Wilson was indirect concerning the nature of the harm postgame, saying solely that it was precautionary and that it wasn’t a pressure.
With Kirby at 80 pitches to finish the sixth however in his first outing because the All-Star Break, and the leverage relievers (Bazardo, Speier, and Muñoz) down after pitching this weekend, the Mariners summoned Nick Davila to shield the one-run lead. It received off to a tough begin, with Davila hitting the primary batter he confronted, Spencer Steer, however then Good Guy Eugenio Suárez provided Davila a reset by grounding right into a double play, permitting Davila to end the inning painlessly after getting Tyler Stephenson to floor out.
With Abbott at 100 pitches, the Reds turned to righty Pierce Johnson within the seventh to face the fear often known as Victor Robles and Robles responded by instantly rapping a single into proper discipline. Luke Raley was then summoned to pinch-hit for Buddy Kennedy and as soon as once more, Raley produced an enormous hit, singling to proper and permitting Robles to scoot into third. Then it was Colt Emerson’s flip to get to contribute. Emerson was initially out of the sport for a scheduled time without work on his twenty first birthday, however stepped in when J.P. Crawford was a late scratch for wrist soreness (he’s day to day). In addition to making some slick performs at shortstop, Emerson introduced in an at-the-time essential second run with a sac fly. Happy birthday, Colt. But the Mariners weren’t accomplished. Randy Arozarena stored the road transferring with an exquisite little oppo single, as a result of Randy does that now, after which Weston Wilson – who was in for Julio Rodríguez – tapped somewhat double into proper discipline, displaying that two can play the oppo taco recreation (an oppo hit that’s not a house run? oppo taquito?).
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A 3-run lead felt good, however with the A aspect of the bullpen down or not less than closely taxed, some insurance coverage would have been good. This is an space the place the 2026 Mariners have struggled, and in addition been punished for it. But what’s much more egregious to the baseball gods than failing to add insurance coverage? The hubris of strolling a left-on-left matchup so as to get to a briefly diminished however under no circumstances totally dimmed Cal Raleigh.
It didn’t matter who was popping out subsequent – though Cole Wilcox and Michael Rucker did proceed the shutout, each trying sharp (Wilcox even threw 5 strikes in an at-bat that one way or the other nonetheless led to a stroll). The die was solid, the park was leaping, the Mariners had been introduced to life and introduced their followers together with them. Wake them up inside, they will get up.
