Big Dumper Returns: Cal Raleigh’s Three Homers Power Mariners Past Phillies

With both teams sending their top starters to the mound, a low-scoring game was expected between the Seattle Mariners and Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night. A pitching duel it was not, however, as the Mariners bludgeoned Zach Wheeler and the playoff-bound Phillies by a score of 9-2.

The M’s offense got hot early and stayed hot, scoring five runs in the first inning to give their starter Logan Gilbert quite the cushion. Cal Raleigh finally found his stroke, blasting three home runs and working a walk as well.

Gilbert continued his Cy Young-worthy campaign by battling through five innings, and Seattle’s bullpen put up zeros the rest of the day to put Philadelphia on ice.

The team is being resilient and finding a way to win, as their superstar catcher noted.

“We’ve endured a lot this year,” Raleigh said afterward. “We are fighting with everything we’ve got right now.”

Whatever game plan Seattle had coming into the game, it worked. Manager Dan Wilson will hope the offensive barrage continues to finish out the current homestand on a high note as the team tries to climb back into the playoff race.

Here are some takeaways following a dominant series-opening performance by the M’s:

Fireworks Show Early

Seattle decided it was batting practice in the first inning against the normally elite Wheeler. Randy Arozarena led off the inning with a walk, followed by a sharp-hit single by Dominic Canzone. Breaking out of an offensive rut, Julio Rodriguez demolished an 0-2 splitter into the bleachers to give the Mariners a 3-1 lead.

Josh Naylor smacked a ball that bounced off the right-field wall but was thrown out on a remarkable throw from superstar Bryce Harper. Naylor slid awkwardly into first and was ruled out on review.

Doing what he’s done all year, Taylor Ward worked a walk to continue the fun. Raleigh rewarded his teammate’s plate discipline by sending a fastball high into the sky for a moonshot home run hit at 109 mph. The slugging catcher was pleased with his team’s performance early.

“A good first inning,” Raleigh said. “Randy [Arozarena] walked, Dom [Canzone] got a single and kinda set the tone there, and obviously Julio [Rodriguez] with the big homer.”

Rodriguez led off the third with a dribbling single up the middle, followed by another hard-hit ball by Naylor down the right-field line. Naylor, not wanting to test Harper’s arm again, pulled up at first to put runners at the corners. Ward drew yet another walk before Zach Wheeler shanked a curveball in the dirt, allowing Julio to trot home from third, pushing the lead to 6-2.

“It was a good pitcher tonight, good stuff,” Raleigh said of Seattle’s approach. “Don’t want to get too big. Kinda want to stay within yourself. When he does make a mistake, take advantage of it. Obviously we did that in the biggest way ... You’ve got to be aggressive and execute when he does make a mistake.”

No lead in baseball is safe, but Seattle intended to put the game out of reach in the fifth. Raleigh hammered a middle-middle cutter for home run No. 16 on the year. Breakout second baseman Cole Young joined in on the power display, smashing a hanging splitter over the fence in the very next at-bat and knocking Wheeler out of the game. That, however, wouldn’t be the end of the scoring for the Mariners.

“Big Dumper” Returns

After smacking two mammoth home runs in the first and fifth innings, Raleigh was able to work a 3-1 count in the seventh. His eyes lit up as the next pitch he saw was another middle-middle cutter that he launched over the fence for the first three-home-run game of his career.

This marked another multi-home-run game for Raleigh, No. 22 of his career, putting him in a three-way tie with Jay Buhner and Edgar Martinez for second place all-time in the Mariners record books.

In a year that has been so frustrating for the franchise’s backstop, hitting three home runs while working a five-pitch walk shows how much better Raleigh is seeing the ball right now.

“I’ve been feeling better in the box and been seeing the ball pretty well,” Raleigh said. “Physically I have been trying to get my hands back, mentally that belief and having that hope and that optimism every single day.”

Over his last 12 games, Raleigh is slashing .235/.422/.676 with a 1.099 OPS. He also has five home runs and 11 walks during that span.

“Having that belief, obviously you are always fine-tuning your swing and stuff like that, but at the same time just having belief in yourself and trusting what you do and executing when you get that pitch.”

While Raleigh had the game of his life, the rest of his team performed well, too. It has not gone unnoticed by their superstar.

“This last month will say a lot about us as a group, us as a team. I think this is where the boys are separated from the men. ... I believe in this group and despite the struggles ... it creates endurance and from endurance you get character and from character you get hope and that’s what I’ve seen in this group.”

Another Gritty “Walter” Outing

With his team battling for a playoff spot, Logan Gilbert knew he would have to battle against a powerful offense in Philadelphia. The first inning was a struggle, as he allowed a walk and two singles to load the bases with one out.

Gilbert was able to induce a slow-rolling groundout that scored a run. He then struck out Bryson Stott to limit the damage. Not an ideal start for the Stetson product, but his ability to keep his team in the game would prove essential to the outcome.

After retiring Brendan Marsh on a lazy flyout, catcher J.T. Realmuto hit a home run that snuck over the fence in left field, trimming Seattle’s lead to 5-2.

But that was all the Phillies could muster, as “Walter” left the game after five innings after allowing only two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five. Philadelphia couldn’t plate another run after Gilbert left, either.

Perfection from Bullpen

While the Mariners’ starter had to grind to get through his five innings, Seattle’s bullpen was flawless once Gilbert departed. Seranthony Domínguez, Gabe Speier, and Carlos Vargas combined to throw four perfect innings. They gave up no hits and no walks while striking out three. They slammed the door shut on a potent Philadelphia offense.

On Deck

The most important part of pursuing a playoff spot is winning, but it helps when the other teams in the race falter. The Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox also lost on Monday, allowing the Mariners to close the gap with those teams and others that didn’t play.

Seattle will look to keep the winning streak going Tuesday by sending George Kirby to the mound to face off against Aaron Nola. Raleigh and his teammates know how important this final stretch is as the calendar approaches September.

“Obviously the job’s not finished and we’ve got some work to do. This last month is going to tell us a lot.”