Mariners Should Learn Two Lessons from Monday Loss to Athletics - But Will They?
The old adage goes as follows: you win a third of your games, you lose a third of your games, and it’s the third in the middle that counts. So it goes for baseball teams and aspiring politicians alike.
Monday’s game was squarely one of those middle games, but the reasons the Mariners lost 6-4 can be sorted into two camps: roster construction and roster usage. The M’s went 1-12 with runners in scoring position, but this is something the team basically just has to weather for the rest of the year when it shows up.
But as for the use case of Casey Legumina and when to take out the left-handed member of a platoon? The M’s and manager Dan Wilson got a couple pieces of useful information on Monday night.
That information, however, only goes so far as the Mariners will take it. But first, a little on the initial five and a half frames.
Randy Arozarena’s Mammoth Fifth Inning Homer Reverses Hitting Woes, M’s Beat Stros 9-6
The look on Andrés Muñoz’ face told it all as Leo Rivas stepped on third to complete the final out: exhaustion and catharsis.
It was a feeling that reverberated around Mariners country as the team won its first game and nearly a week, put more than two runs on the board for the first time in a few days, and had a solid defensive showing after scores of innings full of botched glovework.
The Astros’ struggling pitching and the Mariners’ struggling offense both showed early on Friday.
Ichiro’s statue unveiling outside T-Mobile Park on Friday night encountered an unusual mishap: the bat cracked and bent at the handle as the tarp was taken off to unveil it.
It was the proverbial picture that said a thousand words about the Mariners offense. Over the first 13 games, the Mariners had failed to score before extras in four of them. The whole batting crew had looked about as lost as three Roman legions in the Teutoberg Forest.
Hancock Stuns in First 2026 Outing, Mariners Thump Guardians 8-0
It all seemed to come together on Sunday afternoon. Unlike the first or third game of the series, where the Mariners kept it close but fell in the end thanks to some bullpen mismanagement, defensive miscues, and lethargic hitting - and unlike the second game, where two timely homers brought them to victory - there wasn’t a single moment of the fourth game between Seattle and the Cleveland Guardians where it seemed the pressure was on for the home crew.
Hitters up and down the lineup did their duty, the defense looked good, and that whole tone was set when a once-touted prospect whose bad luck had eaten his star finally seemed to turn a corner.
Hancock impresses in first 2026 start, tossing six no-hit innings and setting a career high in strikeouts.
Mariners starter Emerson Hancock came into 2026 with one more chance to become a major league starter. The former first-round draft pick has pitched to a 4.81 ERA, 5.23 fielding independent pitching (FIP), 1.359 walks and hits per innings pitched (WHIP), and a 2.06 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He had particularly struggled with control even more than walks as such, with errant pitches forcing him to groove a strike or two and get punished in bad situations.
Mariners Release Opening Day Roster; Crawford, Miller Notably Absent with Injury
With opening day right around the corner for the Seattle Mariners - at 7:10 p.m. Pacific on Thursday against the Guardians - the team has released its first 26-man roster for the 2026 season. The top of the depth chart, of course, is very much all over the M’s roster, from returning superstars in Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez to new additions like Brendan Donovan and Jose A. Ferrer.
But of course it is not all sunshine and roses for the defending AL West champions. Longtime shortstop J.P. Crawford is out for the beginning of the year with a shoulder injury while Bryce Miller is working through an injury of his own, leaving holes in the middle infield and the back of the rotation. Leo Rivas is going to get some playing time at short in the meantime (and perhaps Cole Young might swivel
Assessing Three March Mariner Concerns Ahead of 2026 Regular Season
If the Seattle Mariners started the 2026 regular season 6-16-1 (ignore the tie), things would probably be nearing panic mode in T-Mobile Park. But given that it’s Spring Training, the record isn’t all that concerning as Opening Day begins. But from injury concerns to slow starts for stars, there are some points of worry for the M’s as the season comes into view. Just how worrying are these signs, however? Is there any meaning to be derived from them?
Concern 1: Injury questions for players up and down the roster.
Concern level: 4/10
The most-discussed injury question for the upcoming season has been Bryce Miller, and it seems likely by this point that he won’t be ready to start the regular season. The Mariners have Emerson Hancock and Cooper Criswell both available to fill in the fifth starter role - and I personally expect they’ll start with Hancock, with Criswell in the tank if Hancock again struggles as a starter - but they at least have some good indications due to both players’ performance in Spring Training. That doesn’t necessarily mean much for the regular season, especially in the top-line stats such as ERA and FIP, but the M’s have to be impressed with Hancock’s feel for the ball.
Mariners Postseason Hero Bryce Miller Once Again Dealing With Injury Bug
The worst fear of any baseball team with high expectations is injuries. Especially when those injuries hit the starting pitching. The starting rotation is a delicate ecosystem on any team.
For the Seattle Mariners, Bryce Miller struggled through most of the 2025 season. It was a year of stops and starts, totaling in 18 starts, with just eight coming after June 6. Miller dealt with right elbow inflammation, including a bone spur that required time off. When he did pitch, he wasn’t his usual effective self, posting a 4-6 record with a 5.68 ERA, 74 strikeouts, and a 1.41 WHIP over 90 1/3 innings. His strikeout rate dropped significantly, and advanced metrics showed regression with higher hard-hit rates and an elevated FIP.
Simply put, there was a clear struggle with his health throughout last season that undoubtedly impacted his performance.
Mariners Drop Saturday Spring Game 10-5; Hancock Appears Solid in Start
The beating Arizona sun took quite its share of victims for the second day in a row as the San Francisco Giants made the trip over from Scottsdale to Peoria for some Cactus League action against the Seattle Mariners. Chief among those victims this time was Emerson Hancock’s Spring Training ERA as the M’s let a five-run lead become a five-run loss.
But since the score doesn’t matter in February, let’s take a look at some of the few things that might give us the faintest echo of an idea for how the Mariners look going into 2026.
Emerson Hancock shows some life in his first outing of the spring.
Seattle’s pitching lab has seen a lot of success in recent years, with Bryan Woo, Logan Gilbert, and George Kirby turning into key pieces of the Mariners’ arsenal. But so far, that success has not been flowing in Emerson Hancock’s direction. Hancock, who has a career 4.81 ERA, 5.23 FIP, and 1.359 WHIP across 37 appearances (31 starts), enters 2026 with one more shot to become a major league starter.
Luis Castillo, Mariners Get Pulverized by Blue Jays 8-2 in Game 4, ALCS Tied at Two Games Apiece
It was another boat race for the Blue Jays on Thursday night, as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and co. once again put on a hitting clinic to knot the series at two games apiece. Why did the Mariners once again fall victim to Toronto’s aggressive swingers?
Rapid Reaction: Mariners Stuff Blue Jays 10-3 in Statement Win on Canadian Thanksgiving
Despite some early uncertainty, the Mariners delivered a statement Game 2 win in Rogers Centre, tapping a variety of heroes as they return home with a big advantage for Game 3.
Absent Ace? How Bryan Woo’s Availability Affects M’s ALDS Starting Rotation Scenarios
Bryan Woo’s injury status is the biggest “known unknown” going into the Mariners’ ALDS against the Tigers. How might the rotation look in the series for each of Woo’s availability possibilities?
Two Notes from M’s First Midweek Scrimmage
There may not have been any real consequence to the Seattle Mariners’ Wednesday scrimmage at T-Mobile Park, but the five innings of action still gave some insights into what’s going on in the Mariners clubhouse as the ALDS approaches.
Geno Suárez, Mariners Cruise to 6-2 Win, Sweep Hapless Rockies
It was certainly a lot simpler than many other Mariners wins in 2025, but Seattle’s cruise control win on Thursday night still gave some insights into a few players on the playoff-bound ballclub.
Watch: Leo Rivas Walks Off Cardinals in 13-Inning Slog, Mariners Take Fifth Straight
The Mariners won their fifth straight game on Wednesday, and it was a brutal battle that saw one aspect of their game pushed to their absolute limit while the team dragged its feet on the other side of the ball. How did they pull it off in extras to topple the Cardinals?
SWEPT: Mariners Continue Slide in 9-4 Loss to Rays, Searching For Answers
To say the Mariners are under the weather is an understatement. They dropped the 10th of their last 11 road games on Wednesday as the entire team fell apart once more. What can the team do to rectify the situation going into their next series?
Adrift Mariners Suffer Steinbrenner Field Meltdown, Lose Rays Opener 10-2
It was an awful opening to the Seattle Mariners’ series in Tampa Bay, and it continued a worse trend for the M’s, whose abilities have evaporated outside T-Mobile Park. There was one bright moment in the game, but it was awash in a wave of woe.
Salvador Perez Doubles Twice as Mariners Fall 6-3 to Royals
The Kansas City Royals flipped the script on the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday with the home squad losing 6-3 despite Randy Arozarena’s third home run in two games, leaving Emerson Hancock without much run support once again.
Good, Bad, and Ugly: Mariners’ Offense Goes Ice Cold in Consecutive Losses to Twins
For five innings, after a narrow loss on Wednesday, the Mariners were in the heat of a close series finale against the Twins with a chance to take three out of four games. Unfortunately, the bullpen unraveled and the offense disappeared again in an ugly defeat.
Good, Bad and Ugly: Mariners Turn in Another Awful Offensive Outing in 3-2 Home Loss to Orioles
For a second straight night at T-Mobile Park, the Mariners couldn’t come through with clutch hits when they needed them, wasting another quality outing by Emerson Hancock and ensuring a losing record on the latest home stand in a disappointing loss to the Orioles.
Good, Bad, and Ugly: Best/Worst Moments From Mariners 5-3 Comeback Victory vs. Astros
Receiving offense from unlikely sources and another clutch home run from the Big Dumper, the Mariners bounced back from an ugly loss on Thursday to even the series against the Astros in Houston.
2 Keys For Mariners’ Survival on Daunting Road Trip
After going 1-5 on their most recent homestand, the Mariners set sail on a tough 10-game road trip without several contributors. Here are two keys to their survival.
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