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# 3 Up, 3 Down: Best and Worst Performances From Mariners’ Opening Series
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/3-up-3-down-best-and-worst-performances-from-mariners-opening-series/
- Published: 2025-03-31T00:33:34.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T05:37:38.000Z
- Author: Corbin Smith
- Tags: Mariners, Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo, Bryce Miller, Bryan Woo, Jorge Polanco, Randy Arozarena, Donovan Solano, J.P. Crawford

[Embed from Getty Images](http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2206601158?ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com)

The Mariners’ first series of 2025 is in the books following a 2-1 win on Sunday, their second and final victory of their four-game opening set against the not-Oakland Athletics. It was an ugly series for Seattle throughout, featuring some critical mistakes, a bit of bad luck, and plenty of aggravating offensive moments. Next up is a date with the Tigers, but before we turn the page to Detroit, let’s go over the three best and worst performances from the weekend.

# 3 UP

### The Mariners’ Rotation

While they had some long-ball issues, serving up one home run apiece — four in total — to A’s hitters, the quartet of Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo, Bryce Miller, and Bryan Woo overall did their part and then some. Together they allowed just seven combined runs on 14 hits and six walks while striking out 21 batters in 23.2 innings, greatly assisted by Gilbert’s brilliant seven frames of work on Opening Day. Those numbers should have been good enough to allow Seattle to sweep the series, but the bullpen and offense couldn’t hold up their ends of the bargain — an outcome all too familiar to Mariners fans. 

### Jorge Polanco

The hero of Opening Day, Polanco kicked off the season with a jaw-dropping 3-for-3 effort that was capped off by a game-winning, two-run home run to dead-center field on a cold March night at T-Mobile Park. He then added another hit on Friday and an RBI single on Saturday before enjoying a well-earned rest day on Sunday as the Mariners continue to be cautious with his recovery from offseason patellar tendon surgery. As expected, his defense at third base was, let’s say, adventurous at times, but the bat provided more than enough of a trade-off for the glove to be a non-story coming out of the series. 

### Randy Arozarena

Why would Arozarena, who went 1-for-12 in this series, make the “3 Up” portion of this article, especially over someone like Ryan Bliss? Well, not only did he make that lone hit count in a big way with an explosive game-tying home run in the Mariners’ 4-2 win on Opening Day, but he was also wildly unlucky at the dish. Outside of Polanco, no other Seattle hitter looked more locked-in than Arozarena did this weekend, as the 30-year old registered six hard-hit balls (exit velocity of 95 miles per hour or greater); however, only one — the homer — avoided the glove of an A’s defender. He lined out twice to second base at 112.3 MPH on Thursday and 105.8 MPH on Saturday, with the latter resulting in a double play that killed a bases-loaded opportunity for the Mariners to jump on A’s starter Osvaldo Bido early. Additionally, he launched a ball to center field on Sunday to the tune of a 104.5 MPH exit velocity that would have cleared the wall if not for a projected loss of 28 feet of travel distance due to severe winds. Simply put: it was a series of good — even great — process for Arozarena, but mostly just awful, brutal results. 

# 3 DOWN

### Donovan Solano

Solano may have only played in two of the four games, but both appearances went about as poorly as they could have possibly gone for the newest Mariners hitter. In seven plate appearances, the 37-year old struck out four times and only left the infield once on a weak flyout to right field on Sunday. Not a great first look for one of Seattle’s very few outside offseason additions. 

### J.P. Crawford

Aside from an impressive double play that secured the Mariners’ Opening Day victory, Crawford had himself a rough series. He went 1-for-11 with a trio of strikeouts and his only hit, which ironically came against A’s All-Star closer Mason Miller, was an inconsequential bloop single that barely bounced off the glove-side wrist of right fielder Lawrence Butler. He also added a throwing error on Sunday that, fortunately for the Mariners, Woo was able to work around. 

### The Mariners’ Bullpen

Andrés Muñoz looked strong in his two save opportunities, Gregory Santos had a pair of solid outings, and Trent Thornton bounced back from a bad Opening Day appearance with a scoreless eighth inning on Sunday as the Mariners’ bullpen held a 2-1 lead. But the unit as a whole, which finished the 2024 campaign on a sour note, had its fair share of issues throughout the first three games of the series, surrendering seven runs — six earned — on 13 hits, including three home runs, and four walks with just six strikeouts during that time. Whether it was Collin Snider allowing an eventual run-scorer to reach base in a one-run game by failing to catch a routine infield popup or Tayler Saucedo giving up three consecutive two-out RBI base hits, there were some pretty bleak moments for Seattle relievers.