Mariners Right Road-Trip Wrongs, Start Homestand With Gritty 3-1 vs. Orioles
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Seattle Mariners starter Logan Gilbert (36) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images [/caption]
Back in tandem for the first time in nearly a month, Logan Gilbert dazzled and Cal Raleigh stole the show as the Seattle Mariners sidestepped a recent myriad of injuries to start off their latest homestand on the right foot, earning a late 3-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles at T-Mobile Park on Tuesday night.
The Mariners returned home for a six-game set still on the wrong side of the injury report. Three lineup mainstays were unavailable, even with Raleigh and J.P. Crawford returning, putting more pressure on Dan Wilson’s stars to show up. And boy did they ever.
Happily firing darts to Raleigh in his first game off the injured list, Gilbert tossed seven innings of one-run ball while striking out a season-high 10 batters. Making an immediate impact with his bat after a long rehab stint in Everett and Tacoma, Raleigh came through in the clutch, scorching a go-ahead RBI single that plated the winning two runs in the seventh inning.
Getting back to two games over .500, here are three quick takeaways from Tuesday’s series-opening win:
Logan Gilbert of Old Returns
Mariners starters this year have been inconsistent to say the least. Whether it be injuries or blowup starts, the formerly dominant pitching staff has missed having a true ace at the top of their rotation, at least beyond name recognition. On Tuesday night, Gilbert attempted to reclaim the title of staff alpha with a masterful performance reminiscent of 2024, a dominant year for him.
The former first-rounder threw 94 pitches, relying heavily on his fastball as he threw 54 four-seamers on the night. The amount of fastballs he threw had hitters geared up for velocity, allowing his slider to be weaponized and even better than usual. In total, he induced 19 swinging strikes with a feisty fastball and a slider that gave Orioles hitters problems all night.
Command has been consistently inconsistent this year for Gilbert, who decided to put those questions to bay by only issuing one walk. His fastball dotted the edges of the plate throughout his outing and when he did throw in the middle of the zone, the velocity and sequencing of his pitches ensured that no Orioles batter could tee off.
Gilbert has infamously been terrible at home this year, a puzzling narrative considering that T-Mobile Park is considered to be one of the most pitcher-friendly ballparks in baseball. Even more baffling, Logan has given up 13 home runs at home, while only allowing one on the road. Seeing him finally shove at home gives this Mariner rotation a shot in the arm that the organization will be hoping is a sign of things to come, not an aberration.
The Prodigal Son Returns
Seattle welcomed back two mainstays in their lineup on Tuesday evening. Most notably their franchise catcher in Raleigh, who drew a walk in the fifth inning but didn’t come around to score and didn’t get on base in his other two plate appearances in the first six innings.
Yet, Raleigh was thrust into the spotlight again in the seventh, and this time, he delivered like it was 2025. With the bases loaded and only one out, he stepped into the batter box in a a tied game looking to shake off the rust. While he didn’t go yard as many fans would have loved to see, he cracked a single into center field that allowed Victor Robles and a hustling Colt Emerson to score. Emerson showed off his speed by catching up to Robles as they rounded the bases after getting a phenomenal jump off the bat, allowing him to slide past home just before the catcher could apply the tag off the relay throw to push the lead to 3-1.
Not to be outdone, Crawford returned to the lineup ready to play as well. The franchise's all-time leader in games started at shortstop selflessly has been working to learn third base and made his first start there on Tuesday. He was rewarded for putting the team before himself by hitting leadoff and getting on base three times with two walks and a well-placed single in a vintage Crawford performance.
Injuries Test Depth at Critical Juncture
When it rains it pours. Or at least it does when a Mariners player gets scratched from the starting lineup. The Sodo squad is so injured that even announcer Aaron Goldsmith took the day off on Tuesday.
Matt Brash was diagnosed with a grade one right lat strain, landing him on the injured list on June 10. Next came Randy Arozarena, who strained his hamstring legging it out to first base on a groundout last week, with his status yet to be determined in terms of the severity of the injury and how long he could be out.
If all of those injuries weren’t enough, Josh Naylor and Luke Raley had to sit out at the last minute to recover from wrist/shin and lower back tightness, respectively, leaving the Mariners without two key left-handed bats who are crucial to the lineup’s success.
The cascading amount of injuries led to Jerry Dipoto and company to call up outfielder and career minor leaguer Curtis Washington Jr. from High-A Everett in what likely will be a quick stay in the bigs as Seattle hopes to see several players return to action in short order. But it’s safe to say that the injury bug hasn’t been too kind to Wilson’s team as of late and they will take any win they can get right now short-handed.
On Deck
Seattle sends George Kirby to the mound on Wednesday to face off against veteran Kyle Bradish before closing out the series against Baltimore on Thursday. Boston then comes to town on Friday for a key three-game series as the All-Star break nears.
