Good, Bad and Ugly: Impressive Starting Pitching, Timely Hits Help Mariners Take First Two From Rangers
It took a few weeks, but we finally have a two-game recap that features all Seattle Mariner wins.
Seattle took home the first game of the three-game set against the Texas Rangers with a 5-3 victory Friday, and they followed it up with their first blowout win of the season with a 9-2 victory at T-Mobile Park, ensuring a second straight series win over an AL West rival.
Here’s a look at the good, the bad, and the (kinda) ugly from those two victories:
Good: Bryce Miller, Bryan Woo impress. Again.
Miller and Woo both were phenomenal in their starts against the Rangers, and while only Woo qualified for a win, both are as deserving as anyone in terms of credit for the victories.
Miller had to battle through a 30-pitch first inning, but he was able to keep the Rangers off the board and still gave Seattle five innings of one-run baseball. The 26-year old right-hander has battled control issues in the early portion of the season, but he’s been able to battle free passes by limiting hard contact and keeping runners at bay with a clutch strikeout or two. We haven’t seen Miller at his absolute best in 2025, but the fact he’s able to put up steady -- if unspectacular -- results while “working through it” is admirable.
We did see Woo at his best Saturday, which was a bit surprising if you saw him in the first inning. He walked the first hitter, and then missed middle-middle to three straight batters to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead and also load the bases with no one out. He was able to pick up a pair of punchouts in that frame to limit the damage, and from that point on, it was smooth sailing. He struck out seven, threw 61-of-91 pitches for strikes, and he generated an impressive 15 swings-and-misses in that timeframe. Logan Gilbert is the clear-cut ace of the Mariners, but you could argue with all due respect to Luis Castillo that Woo might be the No. 2 right now.
Bad: The Bullpen Is Still Shaky
It didn’t end up mattering, but the two high-leverage options - or at least the guys that Dan Wilson has trusted the most in those situations so far - didn’t pitch well in the first two contests. Trent Thornton gave up a two-run homer in the sixth to blow Miller’s chance for a win, as the mistake tied the game at 3-3, and he continues to give up too much hard contact to trust in these situations - at least in this writer’s opinion.
Gregory Santos also struggled Saturday, and while it was in a 9-1 game, you continue to see that even with a high-velocity fastball and a slider that generates electric movement, he just doesn’t miss many bats.
Matt Brash should be back in the coming weeks and the Mariners are hopeful to get Troy Taylor back as well, but even with those two, Seattle may need to look into making a move for another high-leverage arm for the ‘pen.
Good: Rowdy Tellez Did Something
Look, it’s easy to root for a guy like Tellez. He’s built more like a run defender than a baseball player, and he appears to be a fun, jovial personality. That being said, Tellez has stunk with the bat to open 2025, so it was nice to see some life from the slugger over the weekend. He hit his first homer of the season Friday, and he was able to hit a two-run double - he was thrown out at third trying to turn it into a triple - to extend the lead to 9-1 a day later.
The Mariners are going to have to look at an upgrade at first if Tellez doesn’t show these type of results on a (much) more consistent basis, but hey, a sign of life is a sign of life.
Good. Great. Grand. Wonderful: Cal Raleigh Does It Again
The Mariners have needed Cal Raleigh to come up big so many times over the past three-plus seasons, and while he hasn’t been perfect in those situations, it’s clear the moment is never too big for Big Dumper.
With the score tied at 3-3 in the eighth, Raleigh scorched a two-run blast off Chris Martin (no, not that one) to give the Mariners the 5-3 lead and ultimately the win. That was his 96th homer with the Mariners, and that’s more homers than any other catcher in Seattle’s history. He also homered again Saturday, so it appears he’s back on track after a lackluster first week-plus of 2025, enjoying taking hacks with the new torpedo bat.
Will he ever hit for a high average? No. Will he occasionally try to do too much? Yep, just like every player at this level. Is Cal Raleigh already one of the 20 or so best players to wear a Seattle uniform? You bet your sweet Big Dumper he is.
Beautiful Ugly: It’s Raining Hot Dogs
Well, kinda.
It's raining ... hot dogs! 🌭 pic.twitter.com/HmQiTNstRl— MLB (@MLB) April 13, 2025
Raley told reporters after the game that there was no hot dog in the bag, and since he went 2-for-3 with three RBI, he deserved a hot dog.
Get Luke Raley a Seattle Dog, post haste.
Good: A Chance For a Sweep
After falling to 3-7 on the season and struggling so much at the plate, it’s fair to say that this homestand carried more weight than your typical six-gamer in the early portion of 2025. They not only were struggling, but they were facing their two biggest challengers for the AL West crown over those six games.
Now, this is going to be a successful homestand no matter what happens Sunday, but you get a chance to get a sweep over the first-place Rangers, to complete a 5-1 homestand, and to get back to .500 on the season with a tough nine-game road trip beginning Tuesday.
And, you get the chance to do that with Logan Gilbert on the mound. Who knows what’ll happen - it’d be boring if we did - but you can’t ask for much more than that.
