Young Slugs RBI Double, Slaps Two-Run Single in Mariners’ Comeback Win over Twins
A .500 batting average and a .500 on-base percentage. 16 total bases in 22 at-bats. A 1.227 OPS. One home run, two doubles, and eight RBIs.
Those were Cole Young’s hitting stats over the Mariners’ 5-1 road trip to get back to .500 baseball by the end of April. Three of those RBIs came in the Mariners’ 5-3 win in their rubber match against the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday and two were as timely as could be with the M’s down one in the top of the ninth.
What goes up must go down, but the second baseman’s offensive breakout has been the Mariners’ best friend more than once in the young season on plenty of different-color diamonds.
George Kirby kept the Twins to two runs despite a big fourth inning opportunity.
Just like Logan Gilbert on Tuesday, George Kirby didn’t get the defense behind him that he wanted, with uneasy outfield play extending a fourth inning that saw the Twins put a pair of runs on the board and ballooned his pitch count enough to end up nixing the quality start and adding some workload for the Mariners bullpen.
Fishlock Likely to Return After Negative X-Rays, Reign Look to Bounce Back
It was a moment no Seattle Reign fan wanted to see.
Mere days after the announcement of her retirement at the end of the 2026 season, star midfielder Jess Fishlock came down badly on her left ankle in Sunday's 3-0 loss to the Utah Royals to drop Seattle to 3-2-1 (10 points, fourth in NWSL).
Fishlock immediately signaled to the sideline for help and shouted in pain, only for the medical staff to place an aircast on her ankle. As she left the pitch on a stretcher with her face buried in her hands, fans and coaches alike couldn't help but think they had just watched the final minutes of the 39-year-old Welsh legend's career.
Fishlock was taken to a nearby hospital for an X-ray, with her football future hanging in the balance.
It came back negative, and that was enough for head coach Laura Harvey to start planning for Seattle's most consistent offensive force to return.
Gonzaga Bulldogs Land ASU Transfer Massamba Diop, Bolstering Talented Frontcourt
Bringing in a big fish from the transfer portal, the Gonzaga Bulldogs can cross a big item off their offseason checklist. 7-1 Senegalese center Massamba Diop is on his way to Spokane from Arizona State, picking to play for the Zags over St. John’s for his sophomore season. Diop’s commitment makes the second for GU so far this offseason, joining Houston transfer Isiah Harwell as the newest Zags on the block.
During his first year at the collegiate level, Diop averaged 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks a game on 56.9% shooting in 33 starts with the Sun Devils. He was one of the top centers available in this cycle of the transfer portal and – like several of his new teammates – carries notable NBA Draft stock.
The move aligns Diop with the returning Braden Huff to form yet another strong big man duo for the Bulldogs, a season after Huff and third-team All-American Graham Ike were paired up together. Not to mention that the team’s likely starting small forward, 6-7 Davis Fogle, was also retained, giving Gonzaga one of the country’s most talented frontcourts heading into the fall.
Washington Huskies Linebackers Confidence in Defense ‘Through the Roof’
At one point last fall, the linebacker situation for the Washington football team could have filled an orthopedic wing in a hospital.
Jacob Manu and Zaydrius Rainey-Sale wore heavy knee braces as they recovered from knee injuries at their prior schools. Starting inside linebacker Taariq Al-Uqdah suffered one of his own in the Apple Cup, leaving the position to be filled by the unknown quantities of Xe’ree Alexander and Deven Bryant.
Seven months later, most of the knee braces are gone, and inside linebacker is arguably the strongest unit on the team.
Rodríguez, Naylor, Young Hack Timely Hits as Mariners Mash Minnesota Late
Here’s a stat: Julio Rodríguez has more triple doubles in the city of Minneapolis than Nikola Jokić does in the calendar year 2026.
Well, adding a three-double baseball game into the widely accepted hoops definition of “triple double” allows that to be true. It’s also a testament to the defensive skill of one Rudy Gobert, who has finally and resoundingly managed to convince the world that he is actually good at basketball.
As far as Rodríguez is concerned, his three doubles - the baseball version - set a couple of tables for Seattle and cleared their last, and the center fielder accounted for two runs scored and two others knocked in during the Mariners’ 7-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
It wasn’t just Rodríguez, as Josh Naylor and Cole Young offered some timely hits of their own while starter Logan Gilbert wriggled himself out of enough pickles and jams to make some truly unique culinary concoctions, even while only going five innings. The M’s, after all their tribulations to start the season, are a game behind .500.
Logan Gilbert showed a bit of adjustment but still had to Houdini his way out of a five-inning start.
It is often said that pitchers are crazy. Usually, this refers to intensity or the way the staff interacts with the rest of the players, and it is most stereotypically associated with the isolated (and thus mysterious) bullpen.
Washington State Lands Ronnie Harrison, Tyler Kropp Out of Transfer Portal
Continuing to restock their roster in the transfer portal, the Washington State Cougars received commitments from East Texas A&M forward Ronnie Harrison from East Texas A&M and Northwestern forward Tyler Kropp.
After completing his freshman season with the Wildcats, Kropp will arrive in Pullman with three years of eligibility remaining. In his lone season at Northwestern, he averaged 3.1 points and 2.1 rebounds while appearing in 31 games and making 10 starts, earning more minutes as the season went along. His most productive performance came in a win over USC, where he posted 11 points and nine rebounds, offering a glimpse of his potential.
With one year of eligibility left, Harrison averaged 14.7 points and 6.1 rebounds last season, leading the Lions in both categories. He also shot 47.% from the field and 29.% from three-point range. In the Southland Conference, he ranked ninth in scoring, 10th in rebounding, and tied for sixth in steals, demonstrating a well-rounded game that should translate well to the new-look Pac-12.
Reign Lose Jess Fishlock, Get Pounded 3-0 By Utah in Lumen Field Opener
The Seattle Reign endured their toughest loss of the season on Sunday night, dropping their first game of 2026 at Lumen Field in a 3-0 drubbing to the Utah Royals to drop Seattle to 3-2-1 (fourth in NWSL)
The Reign conceded just 50 seconds in before giving up another goal in the seventh. The game slipped out of control in first-half stoppage time, as the Royals put away their third to pull away. Though Seattle put together some solid looks and hit the woodwork twice, its positive momentum came to a screeching halt when captain Jess Fishlock landed awkwardly on her left ankle midway through the second half.
The injury, which head coach Laura Harvey didn't have updates on postgame, was bad enough to warrant an aircast and a stretcher — a sign of a possible bone break for the 39-year Welsh star. Fishlock announced earlier this week that she would retire from football at the end of the 2026 season.
Ferreira and Morris Regain Scoring Prowess, Sounders Outlast FC Dallas
The Seattle Sounders, down the likes of Cristian Roldan, Albert Rusnák and Paul Arriola, continued their strong start on Saturday night. They downed a visiting FC Dallas squad 2-1, weathering dangerous set-piece opportunities and benefitting from a return to form from goal scorers Jordan Morris and Jesús Ferreira.
The result moves Seattle to 6-1-1 (fourth in Western Conference) with just four goals allowed in eight MLS fixtures. It also meant Seattle's 20th straight game unbeaten at home, as the Sounders haven't lost under the arches of Lumen Field since June of 2025… when they played European champion Paris Saint-Germain.
Sebastian Akins Commits to Washington State
The Washington State Cougars have added another player to their roster for the 2026-27 season, signing former Wake Forest guard Sebastian Akins out of the transfer portal. He just completed his sophomore campaign with the Demon Deacons, starting eight games and averaging 5.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.
Before transferring to Wake Forest, Akins began his career at Denver, where he had an impressive freshman season. He was named Summit League Rookie of the Year after averaging 12.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.
M’s Beat Cards 11-9 in Bizarre Back-and-Forth Battle Despite Woo Blowup
Whatever happened between the Mariners and Cardinals on Saturday afternoon in Busch Stadium, it was one of the most beautiful examples of the chaos and unpredictability inherent in baseball. Perhaps it was fitting that all nine innings were played in the sun, what with the pastoral pastime unfolding in such a way as it did.
This was a game where Connor Joe knocked a game-tying single and Will Wilson drove in two of the Mariners’ runs, while Bryan Woo got smacked around for four homers and seven runs in just three innings pitched. Cole Young was a triple away from the cycle, while Mitch Garver had a multi-hit game even while getting a would-be homer robbed by the glove of Redbirds left fielder Nathan Church - who in turn mashed two big flies of his own but made the final two outs of the Mariners’ 11-9 victory.
And it was Leo Rivas, the same man who came into the game hitting .141, who delivered the go-ahead hit in the top of the ninth. Unlike many of the previous games, Rivas started on the bench on Saturday, logging two appearances. But in a game full of inflection points and twists, Rivas’ two appearances were some of the biggest moments of the game.
Julio Rodríguez set the tone with a second deck shot in the top of the first and Will Wilson launched his first career homer in the second.
Coming into Saturday, Julio Rodríguez had logged a hit in 16 of his past 48 at-bats, but 12 of those had been singles. Still, his process had been very sound after the slump of his first couple weeks, with Rodríguez driving stuff up the middle, drawing walks, and limiting strikeouts.
Seahawks Wrap Up 2026 NFL Draft With Trio of Seventh-Round Selections
Stocking up on seventh round picks with a pair of Day 3 trade downs, the Seattle Seahawks put a bow on their latest draft class by getting a jumpstart on the priority undrafted free agent process, selecting a trio of players with the 236th, 242nd, and 255th picks of the 2016 NFL Draft.
After acquiring picks from the New York Jets and Green Bay Packers with trade downs from 188th and 216th overall, the Seahawks continued to add to their secondary by snagging Toledo cornerback Andre Fuller and Arizona cornerback Michael Dansby while also investing a mid-seventh round pick on versatile Minnesota defensive tackle Deven Eastern to wrap up their eight-player haul.
Seahawks Trade Back, Select Kansas WR Emmanuel Henderson With Pick 199 in 2026 NFL Draft
Once again plugging a hole created by a departed free agent, moments after trading down with the New York Jets to recoup a seventh-round selection, the Seattle Seahawks bolstered their special teams depth by tabbing Kansas receiver Emmanuel Henderson Jr. with the 199th pick of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Originally starting his college career at Alabama, Henderson played three seasons for the Crimson Tide, mostly starring on special teams as a gunner on punt coverage with a handful of kick and punt return opportunities, producing 10 tackles during that span. Seeking more snaps on offense after a limited role in Tuscaloosa, he transferred to Kansas before his senior season and posted career-highs in receptions (45), receiving yards (766), and touchdowns (five) with the Jayhawks while adding a kick return for a touchdown.
Seawolves Pounded by Hounds at Home, Face Uphill Climb in Remaining Six Matches
TUKWILA, Wash. - The Chicago Hounds came to Starfire on Friday night and did to the Seawolves what they have done to every team they have faced so far in 2026: chew them up like an old toy, this time racking up a 59-22 score. It hasn’t mattered whether the MLR favorites have been at home, on the road, or at a neutral site in Nashville, they have won their games against Anthem, the Legion, the Free Jacks, and now the Seawolves by wide tallies.
The game got away from the Seawolves quickly. Unlike the team’s two previous losses, there weren’t specific inflection points late in the second half where the game went the wrong way or a particular mistake the Seawolves made that was the dividing line between a win and a loss. Instead, it was a grueling barrage of overpowering Chicago force, with the biggest inflection point being starting Seattle loosehead Ezekiel Lindenmuth’s red card - though it may have only marked the line between a respectable loss and a blowout.
While many of the Hounds’ 59 points came courtesy of their backfield, it was in truth the forward pack that did the bulk of the job. When Chicago had the ball - especially when they had the ball in Seattle territory - their advances were something close to the platonic ideal of death by a thousand cuts. Some of the names stood out, such as Brock Webster with his hat trick and Mason Flesch with his brace, but like all massive margins in professional rugby, it was due to the efforts of all 23 rostered players that the Hounds racked up as big of a win as they did.
And the Seawolves, for their part, did not make things easy on themselves, getting dinged for 14 penalties that gave the Hounds plenty of possession and lots more meters. Some of the teams in this league wouldn’t have had the wherewithal to take those 14 penalties and turn them into a nailed and buried coffin, but the Hounds are the league’s best for a reason.
Seahawks Trade Up to Pick No. 148, Draft Iowa G Beau Stephens
With the right prospect falling far enough to justify forking over a future draft pick, the Seattle Seahawks slid back into the fifth round to acquire the 148th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, using their newly-added selection on Iowa guard Beau Stephens.
After biding his time as a reserve in his first two seasons on campus in Iowa City, Stephens emerged as one of the best zone blocking guards in college football over the past two years, including earning All-American honors as a senior in 2025. Along with allowing no sacks and 13 pressures in pass protection, he earned a top-10 zone run blocking grade from Pro Football Focus, spearheading the Hawkeyes run game with a blend of athleticism and physicality.
Huskies’ Denzel Boston and Tacario Davis Headed for Ohio
Denzel Boston is used to fighting for opportunities in a crowded wide receiver room.
The leading receiver for the Washington Huskies will attempt to do the same after the Cleveland Brown selected the 6-4 junior with the seventh pick in the second round (No. 39 overall). Cleveland also chose Texas A&M receiver KC Concepcion No. 24 overall in the first round.
“I think that we’re going to bring a good mix of explosiveness and having explosive plays after explosive plays,” said Boston on a call with Cleveland area media. “Both of us have generated tons of touchdowns throughout our college careers. So, I think those are the two things for sure you can look forward to.”
Seahawks Trade Down, Select Julian Neal With 99th Pick in 2026 NFL Draft
Finishing off Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft with a flurry of activity at the tail end of the third round, the Seattle Seahawks recouped a sixth-round draft choice by trading down with the Pittsburgh Steelers, dropping down four selections to nab Arkansas CB Julian Neal with the 99th overall pick.
Starting off his collegiate career at Fresno State as a safety and sub-package linebacker, Neal transitioned to cornerback during his second season with the Bulldogs and enjoyed a breakout junior season in 2024. Ready to step up his game against top competition, he entered the transfer portal and took his talents to Arkansas, instantly being plugged in as a starter on Day 1 playing on the boundary.
Seahawks Land Ball-Hawking DB Bud Clark With 64th Pick in 2026 NFL Draft
Continuing their efforts to replace departed former starters in free agency, the Seattle Seahawks once again opted to sit pat and make their native selection at the end of the second round, snagging TCU safety Bud Clark with the 64th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
After losing Coby Bryant to Chicago in free agency last month, Seattle made a play for a talented ball-hawking defensive back in Clark who racked up interceptions in bunches for the Horned Frogs after rebounding from a couple injury-shortened seasons to begin his collegiate career, offering many of the strengths of his predecessor in the secondary. Over his final four seasons on campus, he intercepted a whopping 15 passes, returning two of them for touchdowns, and registered 20 additional pass breakups, always finding a way to get his paws on the football while aggressively shooting passing lanes in coverage.
Seahawks Bolster Backfield, Select Notre Dame RB Jadarian Price With 32nd Pick
With best player available and arguably the team’s biggest need converging for the second consecutive NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks wound up sticking and picking with their 32nd overall pick, landing dynamic Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price.
Seattle entered Thursday night with hopes of being able to trade down from No. 32, but several teams leap-frogged them back into the first round, including the New York Jets trading up for pick No. 30 and the Tennessee Titans moving up for pick No. 31, leaving no deal in place for general manager John Schneider to pull the trigger and land additional picks.
Mariners’ Plan Finally Functions, but Questions Linger from Walk-Off Win vs. A’s
For better or for worse, the Seattle Mariners haven’t wavered from their game plan after losing 15 of their first 25 games. All across the team, the players have bought into the plan that the organization built, trusting the process to get them out of their current rut.
“I really rely on the hitting coaches to help us out every day, and they do such an incredible job, but I think it’s just staying on the process and having fun while playing, knowing that failure is your friend, and learning to accept it,” first baseman Josh Naylor told Mariners TV’s Ryan Rowland-Smith after hitting a walk-off single to salvage a 5-4 win in the team’s three-game series against the Athletics.
In a team sport, this stubbornness can be beneficial.
The best laid schemes of mice and men, to translate Robert Burns [1], often go awry. “No plan survives first contact with the enemy” goes a similar phrase often misattributed to 19th century Prussian general Helmuth von Moltke the Elder.
But trying to tweak a plan that is veering a bit off course can just end up making things a whole lot worse. For a baseball team, there are always going to be good and bad spells. The most effective plans have an inherent flexibility [2] - and if Seattle’s plans go fully off the rails, it will be because they are inflexible - but in the absence of anything else, believing in the process can end up being the best a struggling team can have.
3 Takeaways From Kraken Management’s Season-Ending Press Conference
The Seattle Kraken hosted a season-ending press conference with general manager Jason Botterill and CEO Tod Leiweke at Kraken Community Iceplex on Wednesday.
What were some of the biggest takeaways that provided a glimpse into how the team will operate over the offseason and beyond?
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