M’s Complete 22-4 Sweep of A’s with 9-1 Blowout, Take First Place in AL West
Despite still being a game back of .500, the Mariners are in first place in the AL West. In one sense, it doesn’t matter; a man once said that you should check the standings once on June 1 and every day starting July 1. But in another sense, the series was massive.
“Yeah, I think so,” said Mariners starter Logan Gilbert when asked if the series (in which they outscored their opponents by 18 runs) was their most complete of the season. “To go out there and prove it like that, and everybody steppin’ up at different times, it says a lot about the team.”
For the first time since sweeping the Astros at home back in April, the M’s cobbled together three consecutive complete wins. From the first inning onward on Wednesday afternoon, Seattle held a watertight lid on a team that had come into the series scoring 4.8 runs per game in their home ballpark. Julio Rodríguez put a bow on the whole thing with a three-run jack in the eighth, but the final outcome was not in doubt long before the 9-1 final score.
Rob Refsnyder got the Mariners started with a three-run homer, continuing an inchoate upturn.
The Mariners’ $6.25 million acquisition of platoon bat Rob Refsnyder hasn’t been a very productive signing despite the clear pedigree of production against lefties over his previous four seasons. With a horrific .113/.195/.197 slash line going into Wednesday’s game, it appeared that his time with the Mariners was nearing an ignominious conclusion.
That may yet be true. But a glimmer of hope shone through in the first inning, as he built on a hit in Tuesday’s game with a loud 107.7 mile per hour bomb.
M’s Move Within Striking Distance of Division Lead with Win over A’s
Tuesday night was the first time the 2026 Mariners followed up a win of six or more run differential with a win of three or more run differential. Those benchmarks are largely meaningless in and of themselves, but they showed that the team finally managed to string together two largely complete victories, Tuesday’s a solid 4-1 win.
With a lead in hand for nearly the whole contest, the M’s did well to keep the powerful Athletics lineup off the board and away from any sort of comeback; not once after the first did the hosts have the tying run at the plate. But most of all, the team finally showed life against a side of the mound they have been vexed by for a grueling stretch of time.
The Mariners Jump-started their offense against a debutant Sacramento southpaw.
It’s no secret that the Mariners have been horrendous batsmen against left-handers, coming into the game with a .190/.277/.315 slash line against southpaws going into Tuesday’s game. The A’s sought to exploit this fact with quite the bold move: calling up lefty pitching prospect Gage Jump from Triple-A in order to be able to face the M’s on their weaker side.
Mariners Give Big Goose Egg against Fried, Continue Defensive Woes
As might be expected for a team 3-3 out of the gate early in the season, the Mariners’ supposed new-look offense has looked a lot more like a lateral shift. Perhaps it’s the cold weather, perhaps it’s lack of adjustment to the batter’s eye, perhaps it’s lack of momentum for key stars who played in the World Baseball classic - but this is a ball yard that has seen a whole lot of “slow starts that will even out” turn out to be the tone set for the entire year.
And when teams like the Yankees, Blue Jays, and Astros clearly have all their ducks in a row on the first weekend, putting up a goose egg at home against one of the league’s best teams isn’t the best of signs.
Gilbert’s splitter looks limited in his outing against New York, but a better middle-inning pitch mix offers a way forward.
Despite being Seattle’s opening day starter, it doesn’t quite look like Logan Gilbert has yet reached the ace potential billing he has long come with. The first inning didn’t look good for his efficiency slump, with the hurler trying and failing to fool the Yankee hitters with buried curves and splitters on his way to 28 pitches and two runs in the frame.
Woo Strong Early, Mariners Falter Late in Extra-Innings Heartbreaker to Guardians
The Seattle Mariners entered Saturday night’s contest like one of your old roommates - still searching for singles. They checked that box, but it still wasn’t enough.
After a strong five-plus from Bryan Woo, Cleveland’s lineup scratched across three runs late at T-Mobile Park. Despite a late comeback in the ninth, the Mariners folded in extra innings as the Guardians won 6-5.
Woo strong but two-out rally in sixth spoils stellar start
Mariners starter Bryan Woo allowed just one baserunner through his first four innings of work, pumping his elite fastball time and time again: 59 of his 83 pitches on Saturday were the four-seamer, which stayed in the top half of the zone for five frames.
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
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.
Mariners Repeat or Astros Return; Who is AL West’s Deadliest Warrior? Analyzing Division as 2026 Season Approaches
Ever since the Mariners’ dramatic September sweep on Houston’s home ground that all but sealed the division, 2026 has shaped up to be a close rematch between the two teams. Which team, if any, has the edge going into the season?
Decisions Behind Disaster: Managerial Tendencies Sunk Mariners in Game 7
Mariners manager Dan Wilson made a decision that will live in infamy during Game 7, and the mistake cost the M’s the season. That decision and others on Monday reflected long-visible managerial tendencies that Wilson will have to adjust come 2026.
Rapid Reaction: M’s Cage Tigers 8-4 in Game 3 of ALDS, Lead Series 2-1
It wasn’t a pitching duel like Games 1 and 2, but things fell into place for the Mariners in Game 3 while Tigers manager A. J. Hinch’s best laid plans went awry.
Final Thoughts: Mariners Game 1 Defeat Leaves Steep Hill Ahead, Roster Construction Questions
As morning dawns on the Mariners’ mistakes from Saturday night, some final things can be gleaned before the team gears up to face Tarik Skubal in Game 2. What might be on Seattle’s mind headed into Sunday?
Blue Skies in SoDo: Weekend Sweep Puts M’s in Prime Championship Contention
The M’s went into a massive three-game set in Houston tied with the Astros for the division lead, and unlike past heartbreakers, Seattle all but took out their nemesis. Where does this leave the Mariners’ playoff position going into the final week before October?
SWEEP: Seattle Mariners Bash Big Second Inning, Take Game Three 7-3 in Statement Series
The surreal has become real with one week left in the season, as the Seattle Mariners have swept the Houston Astros in the biggest series of the season. What led to Seattle’s sweep-clinching Sunday victory?
Seven Games Left: Where Mariners Stand Going into Game Three in Houston
Two wins in two games in Houston have secured a tiebreaker and a two-game division lead. How do Seattle’s chances fare going into the final contest against the Astros?
Bookends: Two Moments Shine in Mariners’ 6-4 Classic in Game Two
Saturday’s marathon match between the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros was an instant classic in the heated AL West rivalry—and it was made so by two moments that baseball will not soon forget.
Robles Sinks Double Play Dagger in Game Two, Mariners Hold 6-4 Win
The Seattle Mariners may have finally slain their unrelenting demons on Saturday night in Houston. Cal Raleigh got his 57th home run, George Kirby balled out on the mound, but it was the last play of the game that will go down in Mariners legend.
Five Key Moments that Led to Mariners’ 4-0 Friday Win against Astros
It’s still too early to tell what the biggest news from Friday night’s Houston opener was, but for now, the Mariners can guardedly celebrate a massive 4-0 win against their arch-nemesis. What were the five key moments that led to Seattle’s win?
Bryan Woo Exits Houston Outing with Pectoral Tightness, Bullpen Locks Down M’s 4-0 Shutout
Bryan Woo may have worked a shutdown five innings on Friday, but discomfort forced the M’s to pull him early. Luckily for Seattle, the men they rely on time and time again came through, but there is still a cloud hanging over the team pending Woo’s MRI.
WATCH: Seattle Mariners Net Baserunner, Run Due to Infield Positioning Challenge
It was surely an odd day at the ballpark for the Mariners and Royals as one of Seattle’s two Thursday runs scored due to an infield positioning violation. Watch Emerald City Spectrum Mariners beat reporter Callaghan Bluechel break down this bizarre play.
Mariners Best Royals 2-0, Move Back into First-Place Tie Ahead of All-Important Astros Series
Some things, like the elite pitching duel, can be gleaned from Thursday’s box score, but the game also contained a bafflingly odd sequence that reminds us of baseball’s oddities as the M’s moved back into first place in the West.
One Step Closer: Mariners Take 5-3 Win Over Cardinals, Look to Sweep on Wednesday
It was the fourth victory in a row for the Seattle Mariners, and the AL West division chase is coming down to the wire. This win came despite some continued (albeit muted) struggles from George Kirby—what did the Mariners do to overcome the Cardinals in game two?
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