> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Good, Bad, and Ugly: George Kirby Settles Down, Josh Naylor Keeps Running as Mariners Beat White Sox - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/good-bad-ugly-george-kirby-settles-down-josh-naylor-keeps-running-seattle-mariners-win/ - Published: 2025-08-07T06:09:59.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T05:58:50.000Z - Author: Corbin Smith - Tags: Analysis, Mariners, George Kirby, Julio Rodriguez, Josh Naylor, Eduard Bazardo, Cal Raleigh [Embed from Getty Images](http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2228865889?ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) Well, that was closer than we would have liked, wasn’t it? The Seattle Mariners built an early 7-1 lead, but they had to hang on over the final few frames to procure an 8-6 win over the Chicago White Sox. It gives the Mariners three straight victories, and guarantees a series win with a chance for a sweep with a win Thursday. The responsible thing to do is look at the good, bad, and ugly from Wednesday’s win over the Pal Hose. ### Good: George Kirby It wasn’t always pretty, but the end results make it impossible to put Kirby in anything but the good column. He gave up five hits, allowed two runs, and struck out nine. The right-hander did allow runs in the second and third, and he had to escape a significant jam in the latter to avoid the big inning. But he did avoid that big inning, and from the 4th to the 6th, Kirby was exceptional, locating everything for strikes and missing bats with his fastball and knuckle-curve. He still has an ERA of 4.04 that Mariner fans -- and Kirby, more importantly -- wouldn’t have signed up for on August 6, but to say he’s passed the eye test for the majority of the season is quite the understatement. There’s a long way to go and you have to get there, but the Mariners are going to have a hard decision to make if/when they make the postseason for who starts those games. You have to wonder how much of a weapon Kirby would be out of the bullpen if Seattle went with Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, and Luis Castillo in those first three contests. ### Bad: Eduard Bazardo Let’s be clear, Bazardo has done a fantastic job with the Mariners in 2025\. Even after a terrible outing against the White Sox where he gave up three runs in his inning of work Wednesday, he still has a 2.98 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP, and 55/24 K/BB over 51 appearances. But, this is just about Wednesday, and Bazardo wasn’t very good Wednesday. It doesn’t mean that the Mariners need to make a change to how they use him. Baseball players have to struggle or else they’re not baseball players, they’re baseball robots and we only want to see robots calling balls and strikes. But giving up two homers and three runs isn’t the goal. It’s not close to the goal. ### Good: Cal Raleigh The results for Raleigh have not been good since the start of July, or at the least they haven’t lived up to the incredibly lofty expectations that he has deservedly garnered. But Wednesday was a good day for the man we call Big Dumper. He drew a walk before scoring on a homer -- more on who hit that homer in a second -- and he also had a big two-run single to extend the lead to 4-1\. No, Cal Raleigh isn’t likely to hit 60 homers. Yes, he was as due for regression as any player in the sport because he isn’t Barry Bonds behind the plate. No one is. But tonight was a very good game that shows how he can contribute even if the homers are leveling off. ### Good: Julio Rodríguez With the Mariners leading 4-1, Rodríguez absolutely clobbered a three-run shot off a wholly ineffective Jonathan Cannon to make it a 7-1 game. That’s the 21st homer of the season for J-Rod, but just the sixth that he’s hit at home, a place he just hasn’t hit very well in for the last couple of years. But it isn’t a question of talent, and that 430-plus foot homer was a reminder that he’s plenty strong to start hitting the ball over the fence on a more consistent basis in Seattle. I think he will. But it’s more of a guess than anything I can use numbers to back up my thesis. I do have tonight’s tape, though. That’s a pretty good indicator. ### Ugly: The First Three Batters for Andrés Muñoz Oof. Muñoz came in to protect an 8-5 lead, and immediately left a fastball in the middle of the plate that Michael A. Taylor took out of the park. That wasn’t ideal, but what was really problematic was that he then walked the next two batters he faced to put the tying run at the plate with no one out. We don’t typically see Muñoz struggle like this, but it looked like this was going to be one of those nights. ### Good: The Next Three Batters for Muñoz Muñoz picked up a strike out, a meak fly ball to Randy Arozarena, and a grounder to Eugenio Suárez to end the game. That’s what upper-echelon closers do. Again, people have to give up runs because the sport would be incredibly boring to watch if they didn’t. But the great ones bounce back when they don’t have their best stuff nor their best command. Muñoz didn’t have either, and he still got the job done. Good for you, Munny. ### Good: Josh Naylor Kinda burying the lede here, but that’s ok. Do you know how many players have homered at least three times and stolen at least eight bases in the first 10 games with a franchise before Wednesday? None. Zero. Guess how many players have done it now. Naylor stole two more bags and homered, and has just looked fantastic since joining the Seattle lineup. It’s not like the first baseman has elite speed, it’s the fact that he studies his you-know-what off to read pitchers and their times, and on a team that has some elite stolen-base threats, I don’t think anyone reads pitcher’s moves better than Naylor does. It only matters if you get on base enough to swipe the bags, but the power on top of the ability to take that extra bag has been a massive upgrade. You have the right to be frustrated that Naylor wasn’t here earlier, but it’s sure nice to have him here now. This could be a really, really fun August, folks.