Mariners Walk Off Twins, Keep Momentum Alive Ahead of Trade Deadline
With the trade deadline just two days away, the Seattle Mariners’ season seemingly hinged on Saturday's game against the Minnesota Twins. With the contest tied 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth, Cal Raleigh delivered, driving home the winning run in walk-off fashion.
Seattle has struggled to put teams away all season, and that trend continued during the second game of the series. The Mariners scored three runs across the first two innings but were held scoreless the rest of the way until the ninth. This allowed the Twins to claw their way back, ultimately tying it up in the seventh inning.
The Mariners need to start stacking wins to make the playoffs, and Saturday's victory showed how they can do that.
Instant Takeaways: Storm Drop 8th in a Row vs. Dream
The Seattle Storm made multiple late-game surges to try and erase their deficit, but it wasn’t quite enough in a 98-89 loss to the Atlanta Dream on Friday, July 31, at the Gateway Center.
Natisha Hiedeman led Seattle (6-25) with 23 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals — one game separated from her career-best night against the Indiana Fever. Dominique Malonga posted 16 points and 13 rebounds on an efficient 8-of-10 shooting.
Seattle lost its eighth straight game and is nearing elimination from playoff contention.
Atlanta (18-10) was led by 21 points, 13 rebounds and two steals from Angel Reese. Naz Hillmon was the Dream’s second-leading scorer with 18 points.
Instant Takeaways: Hiedeman’s Career Night Not Enough, Storm Fail Comeback Attempt
Natisha Hiedeman’s second career night in a span of about two weeks still wasn’t enough to break the Seattle Storm’s losing streak in a 105-95 loss to the Indiana Fever on Tuesday, July 28, at Climate Pledge Arena.
Hiedeman scored a game-high 33 points and helped lead multiple Storm comeback attempts, but it still wasn’t enough without Dominique Malonga (injured) on the floor. Seattle (6-24) dropped its seventh straight game and ninth of its last 10.
Indiana (18-10) was led by a combined 60 points from Caitlin Clark (32) and Kelsey Mitchell (28) in a game where they were short-handed in the second half. The Fever have now won four in a row and are 8-2 in their last 10 games.
Dickey Stars in Return as Reign Hold Off Wave for Quality Road Win
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali details a 2-0 win for the Seattle Reign (6-7-2, 10th in NWSL) over the 4th-place San Diego Wave (9-6-2) on Sunday afternoon. Keeper Claudia Dickey managed a career-high nine saves to earn the clean sheet while midfielder Ainsley McCammon became the youngest player in NWSL history to net multiple assists in a single game.
The result put a 3-2 loss in which Seattle blew a 2-0 lead to Gotham last week behind the Reign as leading scorer Maddie Mercado (17’) scored for a third straight game while center back Jordyn Bugg (20’) netted her first goal of the season. Head coach Laura Harvey also became the first coach in league history to reach 100 regular-season wins with the same club.
The Reign head to Bay FC next on August 1 before returning to Lumen Field on August 9 for a bout with Angel City FC. Seattle is two points out of a playoff spot at the midway point of the season.
Sounders Enter Unprecedented Territory with Fifth Straight Loss
The Seattle Sounders continued their tailspin on Saturday night, losing 1-0 to the last-place Philadelphia Union (3-10-4) on the road. The result extended Seattle's losing streak to five, the worst in MLS play under coach Brian Schmetzer.
The Sounders, who started the campaign at 6-1-1, now sit at 7-6-3 and in sixth place in the Western Conference with one more game before their Leagues Cup title defense begins on Aug. 5.
It was only the seventh meeting all-time between Philadelphia and Seattle, and the Sounders gave up a rare kind of goal in the 31st minute of Saturday's game. Union striker Milan Iloski scored his ninth of the season by running past a makeshift Seattle backline, which defended well all night, and floated a ball over keeper Andrew Thomas in an awkward moment for the first-year starter.
It's the first time since 2015 that the Sounders have lost five straight MLS games. Schmetzer started coaching the squad in 2016.
The 63-year-old skipper said he “isn’t killing” the players over this streak, as Seattle continues to try and survive missing at least five usual starters at once.
WATCH: Sounders Drop Fourth Straight Against Austin, Ragen to Miss Next Two Matches
If you didn’t think it could get worse than a 5-1 loss to Portland, Wednesday was a stark reminder it truly can.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali recaps the Seattle Sounders’ 3-1 loss at 14th-place Austin FC, in which the home team scored twice after the 85th minute. It was a 95-degree night in Texas full of frustration, boiling to All-Star center back Jackson Ragen picking up two frustration-fueled yellow cards to ensure he misses the next two fixtures, including an August 1 rematch with Portland.
Instant Takeaways: Storm Drop Sixth Straight vs. Lynx Ahead of All-Star Break
It was much closer than the final score suggests, but the Seattle Storm’s chronic shortcomings and late-game mistakes led to an 86-76 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday, July 22, at Climate Pledge Arena.
Seattle (6-23) dropped its sixth straight game and eighth of its last nine. It also marked the second straight home loss to the Lynx in just three days following a three-point loss to Minnesota on July 20.
Minnesota (22-6) won its seventh in a row, leaning on the trio of Napheesa Collier (24 points), Kayla McBride (20) and Olivia Miles (13). Dominique Malonga led the Storm with 21 points on 9 of 13 shooting and added nine rebounds, two assists, one steal and four blocks.
Instant Takeaways: Storm Can't Finish Battle With Lynx, Drop Fifth Straight Game
Continuing to stack competitive performances, the Seattle Storm (6-22) found themselves in another tight contest, this time with the best team in the WNBA, the Minnesota Lynx (21-6).
But once again, Seattle couldn’t finish a game that came down to the wire, falling 105-102 at Climate Pledge Arena. The Storm dropped to 0-10 in games decided by five points or fewer this season and suffered their fifth straight loss.
It was an encouraging night for the future of the league, as rookie guards Flau’jae Johnson and Olivia Miles dueled against each other, showcasing why they were both first-round selections in this year’s draft. Yet in the end, Miles won the battle and led her team to stave off Johnson and Seattle.
Mariners Build Momentum Ahead of Trade Deadline, Clinch Series Win With 6-3 Win vs. Giants
Seattle won their second straight game against the lowly Giants 6-3. Behind six strong innings from starter Logan Gilbert, a shutdown bullpen, and timely hitting, the Mariners looked primed to go on a run to put their first-half struggles in the rearview mirror.
With two weeks remaining until the trade deadline, Seattle needed to come out of the All-Star break with some urgency. After getting throttled in the first game of the series 7-0, it looked like the team had not used their time off to reset well. But after two satisfying victories, and the struggling Cincinnati Reds coming into town, Seattle is one more series win away from cementing itself as a buyer in the wide-open American League.
Dan Wilson pushed all the right buttons Sunday, a rare sentence for this Mariners club. His timely deployment of pinch-hitters and bullpen usage showcased what this ballclub can look like at its best. Yet there are still some things to work on as with any baseball team.
Reign Allow 3 Goals in 16 Minutes, Blow 2-0 Lead to Gotham
No one knew just how to evaluate what happened to the Seattle Reign on Saturday afternoon.
Facing defending NWSL champion and first-place team Gotham FC after a two-and-a-half hour lightning delay in a 5,000-person capacity stadium on account of the nearby World Cup final, Seattle led 2-0 heading into the 80th minute. Two first half goals from Mia Fishel and Maddie Mercado, respectively, had landed them in an advantageous spot late. The former scored her first goal with the team, marking cause for celebration.
But with Gotham FC bringing world-class offensive talents in the newly signed Sam Kerr and Esther Gonzalez for the second half, Reign coach Laura Harvey dropped her team into a backline of five to nurse the lead and keep the pair at bay.
Gotham, even in the smoky conditions which required four hydration breaks by the game's end, put the pedal to the metal on Seattle for entire second half. They finished the game with over 70% possession as Gonzalez found the net in the 81st. Then in the fourth minute of a 10-minute second-half stoppage, Gonzalez scored again on a nifty pass from winger Jaedyn Shaw.
Then, former Seattle star Rose Lavelle put the finishing touches on the comeback with a transition banger of a strike, scoring past Reign reserve keeper Cassie Miller from just inside the box in the seventh minute of added time.
The stunning result was worsened by the fact that Maddie Dahlien, who had been so dynamic on the left wing for Seattle all afternoon, missed a penalty that would have made it 3-0 in the second half.
The result dropped Seattle to 5-7-2, good for 11th in the NWSL, while Gotham improved to 9-3-3 to take hold of first place in the league. The loss comes on the heels of a signature 2-0 win from the Reign over Portland.
"That game was on us," Fishel said postgame. "We did it to ourselves."
Instant Takeaways: Storm Nearly Spoil Clark’s Career Night in Shootout Loss vs. Fever
The Seattle Storm nearly spoiled Caitlin Clark’s career night in a high-octane shootout, but late-game mismanagement cost them in a 110-107 loss to the Indiana Fever on Friday, July 17, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Seattle (6-21) erased a 17-point first-half deficit and led by eight midway through the fourth quarter. But the Storm were still forced to have Natisha Hiedeman force up a half-court heave to try and tie the game at the buzzer. It was off the mark.
Dominique Malonga led the Storm with 28 points and 14 rebounds, while the entire rest of the starting lineup also scored at least 15 points.
Clark posted a career-high 45 points and 10 assists for Indiana (15-10), while Kelsey Mitchell added 30 points. Monique Billings finished with 16, and no other player on the Fever had more than eight.
WATCH: Sounders Unravel for Worst Loss to Timbers in MLS Era
The Seattle Sounders, fresh off six weeks away from MLS play for the FIFA World Cup, came into a Thursday night home bout with their archnemesis, the Portland Timbers, looking to start the summer run strong.
Not only did they not accomplish that feat, but the Sounders (7-4-3, 6th in Western Conference) lost 5-1.
It’s already being labeled the worst loss to Portland in franchise history, as striker Kevin Kelsy bagged a brace. Seattle midfielder Hassani Dotson scored off a set-piece header late with the game far out of reach.
The Timbers (5-8-2, 7th) worked the wide areas to death, scoring three goals in seven minutes early in the second half to completely demoralize Seattle. The nearly 36,000 fans in attendance, a franchise best this season, left in droves.
After the game, head coach Brian Schmetzer took accountability as his team, down key pieces like Cristian Roldan and Alex Roldan, was simply out-competed in the biggest derby game of the season. Players cleared out of the locker room quickly postgame, seemingly opting to process the stunning result on their own.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali attempts to make sense of the landslide defeat.
Instant Takeaways: Late Storm Comeback Falls Short vs. Sky
The Seattle Storm erased an 11-point halftime deficit against the Chicago Sky but fell short in another close loss, 95-90, on Wednesday, July 15, at Wintrust Arena.
Seattle (6-20) was led by an efficient 25 points from Flau’Jae Johnson (11 of 17 FG), but it wasn’t enough to push the Storm over the edge. Dominique Malonga (16 points), Awa Fam (14), Jade Melbourne (11) and Katie Lou Samuelson (11) also scored in double figures.
Snapping a two-game losing streak, Chicago (8-16) was led by 20 points from Azura Stevens and 17 from rookie Sydney Johnson. Chloe Bibby added 14 points off the bench for the Sky, who have also been struggling to win close games this season.
Cassie Miller Shines, Reign Top Thorns 2-0 to Split Cascadia Series
The Seattle Reign came into Sunday's rematch with their vaunted rival Portland Thorns at 4-6-2 and losers of four of their last five games.
But records never matter in the biggest grudge match in the NWSL, and Seattle proved it by delivering the Thorns their only shutout loss of the season to place Portland at 8-4-3 in a 2-0 win. Seattle moved up to 10th place with the win, still three points out of a top-eight playoff spot with a game in hand over the Orlando Pride.
Reserve keeper Cassie Miller, in for the second straight week for injured star Claudia Dickey (ankle), had the game of her life to earn the clean sheet. Miller tabbed nine saves in front of nearly 15,000 fans - Seattle's fourth-highest attendance figure in any match. It marked the full circle of a story for the 31-year-old that featured a leg injury which forced her to miss most of the 2025 season.
Also rounding out a comeback story was right back Ryanne Brown. Brown tore her ACL during the 2024 season, prompting her to miss all of 2025 and play just 22 minutes total in 2026 in the lead-up to Sunday.
She earned her first start with typical starter Madison Curry (ankle) out with an injury, and scored an incredible long distance goal to open the scoring. Maddie Mercado doubled the advantage later in the first half while Miller endured 10 shots on frame to seal a 2-0 win.
Head coach Laura Harvey, who hasn't had much to smile about on the field lately, put this game up there with any of Seattle's performances in 2026.
"It was probably the closest to the best 90-minute performance that I can probably remember since (the 2-1 win) over Orlando (in March)," Harvey said. "Really proud of the group."
Chants of "Build a bonfire, build a bonfire, put the Thorns on the top!" rang out as time wound down on a picture perfect day - one that could turn Seattle's season around.
Bullpen Rises to Occasion as Mariners Snap Five-Game Skid, Take Series Finale From Rays
Finally putting an end to their losing ways, the Seattle Mariners’ offense showed up early and the bullpen delivered a brilliant performance in a resounding 8-2 rout of the Tampa Bay Rays, salvaging the series finale to avoid the sweep going into the All-Star break.
The Mariners needed to use seven pitchers to secure the win due to a scary first inning injury to starter Emerson Hancock that resulted in him exiting the contest an inning later. The offense picked the ‘pen up, however, plating seven runs by the fourth inning, and eight runs overall.
It was a rare complete team performance by Seattle, and manager Dan Wilson hopes to get some key players back from injury coming out of the break while building off his team’s lights-out execution as the season marches towards the playoffs.
“Talk about a team effort from top to bottom today,” Wilson said afterward.
Instant Takeaways: Self-Inflicted Wounds Doom Storm vs. Mystics
Natisha Hiedeman’s career-high 31 points weren’t enough for the Seattle Storm in another turnover-plagued 84-79 loss to the Washington Mystics on Sunday, July 12, at CareFirst Arena.
Hiedeman was as good as she’s ever been, but the Storm didn’t get consistent offense across the board. Dominique Malonga (10 points) was the only other player to score in double figures for Seattle (6-19), which dropped to 2-11 on the road this season.
Washington (11-10) got 27 points from Shakira Austin, 19 from Sonia Citron and 12 from Kiki Iriafen. The Mystics have been used to winning close games, and they showed how battle-tested they are against the Storm.
However, in the end, it was the Storm’s turnovers and missed opportunities that doomed them in this game.
Mariners Searching for Answers After 6-1 Loss to Rays Extends Florida Losing Streak to Five Games
Enduring a horrifying road trip to the Sunshine State, the Seattle Mariners continue to frustrate their fan base as they fell flat again in their 6-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday. Poor luck, situational hitting, and an abnormal dud from ace Logan Gilbert made for a lackluster performance at Tropicana Field.
Gilbert allowed nine hits and two walks, but in his defense, he exited the game having only given up two runs to that point. He did leave runners on first and second as reliever Gabe Spier proceeded to give up a three-run blast on the first pitch he threw. That promptly put the game well out of reach for a Mariners team that has been struggling offensively as of late.
Continuing a season-long trend, Seattle had no issues with reaching base. They put 10 batters on, but their issues arose getting them home once again. The Mariners went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position (RISP) Saturday, bringing their five-game road trip total to a shocking 2-for-38 (.053).
Once a division favorite, the Mariners now sit two games back in the AL West at 47-49. No matter the outcome of the series finale on Sunday, they will enter the All-Star break below .500, an astonishing outcome considering their expectations heading into the year.
Instant Takeaways: Storm Set Multiple Season Lows in Loss To Dream
The turnover-prone Seattle Storm were unable to keep their winning ways on the road in an 89-78 loss to the Atlanta Dream on Thursday, July 9, at the Gateway Center.
Atlanta (13-9) snapped its five-game losing skid with the victory over Seattle (6-18), who are now an even 3-3 over their last six games. The Dream also got even in the season series after the Storm won the first matchup, 105-90, on June 27.
Allisha Gray had a game-high 22 points for the Dream, but Rhyne Howard (19 points), Angel Reese (18) and Jordin Canada (14) also scored in double figures. Reese logged a double-double with 11 rebounds.
The Storm were led by Natisha Hiedeman’s 20 points. Dominique Malonga added 15 points and nine rebounds, followed by Flau’jae Johnson’s 14 points.
Mariners Squander Comeback Effort in Extras, Fall in 6-5 Walk-Off Heartbreaker to Marlins
The Seattle Mariners flew into south Florida as victors of five of their last six games, riding a wave of momentum back to the top of the AL West standings. Ready to build on their back-to-back series wins, Seattle was primed to go on a winning streak heading into the All-Star break this upcoming weekend.
The upstart Marlins had other plans, however, walking off their American League opponent in the bottom of the 10th inning to steal the series opener.
Hurler Bryan Woo continued to struggle on the road, allowing 10 baserunners and three runs across just five innings.The Marlins raced ahead to a 4-0 lead as the Mariners failed to score until the fifth. Seattle had the bases loaded in the fourth inning and came away with no runs, continuing a trend where the team seemingly forgets how to hit until the fifth inning or later.
Seattle rallied to a 5-4 lead in the eighth, but it proved insufficient as they were walked off two innings later, sealing another frustrating loss for a team intent on playing below their potential.
Instant Takeaways: Storm Buck Road Woes With Decisive Win vs. Sparks
Flau’jae Johnson erupted early and finished with 23 points to help fuel the Seattle Storm to an 82-64 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks on Monday, July 6, at Crypto.com Arena.
The Storm (6-17) earned their best road victory of the season and have now won three of their last five games. After two straight losses that looked like they were trending back in the wrong direction, Seattle reversed the trend once again against a Kelsey Plum-less Sparks squad.
Los Angeles (8-11) dropped its third straight and fifth of its last six games as the Sparks have struggled mightily without Plum. They now have lost their last three games by an average margin of 23.3 points.
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