Inside the friendly confines of T-Mobile Park, Seattle pitchers routinely shift into a new gear.
For starters and relievers alike, the numbers are undeniable. The Mariners have the best home ERA (2.60) and WHIP (0.940) in baseball, walk the fewest hitters (78), and own the most home wins in the American League (27).
It’s why Logan Gilbert’s brilliant, eight shutout innings on a sold-out Father’s Day was all the more foreseeable.
Gilbert was superb on a Sunday afternoon, allowing Seattle to celebrate a three-game sweep of the reigning World Series-champion Texas Rangers, the divisional foe that could have regained precious ground in the standings. Instead, the Mariners stomped them further down the ladder and extended a season-high lead in the AL West to 8 1/2 games.
Seattle’s towering, 6-foot-6 right-hander mixed five pitches to perfection, working ahead with painted fastballs paired with a standout slider that induced silly swings in the dust. Gilbert fanned nine without a walk for his Seattle-best 12th quality start, surrendering just two hits in eight frames with a depleted bullpen behind him.
Aided by Luke Raley’s fourth-inning RBI double, Tyler Locklear’s seventh-inning solo homer, and ample insurance in the final frames, Gilbert provided an early off-day for much of the bullpen and cruised to Sunday’s 5-0 win, improving the Mariners to a season-high 12 games over .500 (43-31).
“That was fantastic,” manager Scott Servais said. “(Logan was) in total control of the ballgame and had great stuff, of course, but the execution of the slider and split-finger was electric today.
“I hope everybody appreciates it as much as I do and our pitching coaches do, because that’s really hard to do.”
Seattle’s third series sweep this season was, undoubtedly, its biggest.
Since May 26, the Mariners are 16-5, the best record in baseball during that span. And they are 23-6 at T-Mobile Park since April 15, the best home mark in the American League.
It’s the largest division lead — and the first time the Mariners have won nine consecutive home series in a campaign — since their record-breaking 116-win season in 2001.
“To have a sweep, especially at home? It’s a good feeling,” Gilbert said. “When everybody’s doing their job, we’re definitely at our best, and that’s what it looked like today.”
And what a difference Julio Rodriguez could make if this extended hitting stretch continues. The J-Rod Show sparked Seattle’s 7-5 win in Saturday’s middle game with a third-inning, two-run smash to left center off Texas righty Nathan Eovaldi and, entering Sunday’s finale he had slashed .278/.350/.463 in the month of June.
Rodriguez’s bat continues to warm up with the weather, like it did in his rookie and sophomore seasons from 2022-23. The career .238 hitter between the months of March and April ignited those numbers to .316 in July and August across his first two campaigns — a promising sign Seattle’s franchise center fielder is again turning a pivotal corner.
“Julio is at his best when he’s playing free,” Servais said. “Not thinking too much. Just letting his abilities take over, and being super competitive, and that’s what we’re seeing right now.
“He is competing his tail off. That’s what it takes.”
The Mariners own a 78.8% chance to win the AL West, per FanGraphs, the highest chance to win a division among American League clubs. Seattle has an 86.2% chance to make the playoffs and a 6.1% chance to win the World Series.
Raleigh, fans shave heads at ‘Buhner Buzz’
The Mariners teased the question in the days leading up to the first Buhner Buzz Night since 2001 — which current player would make their surprise entrance and receive a shaved head from Jay Buhner himself?
Three decades after Seattle launched the “iconic promotion” featuring its famously bald right fielder, Buhner returned to Victory Hall next door to T-Mobile Park for the revival of Buhner Buzz Night. And it was only fitting that catcher Cal Raleigh was Thursday’s featured volunteer, just three days removed from demolishing a heroic, walk-off grand slam over the White Sox.
“They did a little (promotion) tonight — buzz cuts by Jay Buhner here at the yard,” Raleigh told MLB Network. “I volunteered to get the cut. It’s a little shorter than I thought it’d be, but (Jay) told me there were some hits in it… I said, I’ll do anything for a few knocks.”
Freshly-shaved fans (and those who arrived bald) received a free ticket and Buhner-themed shirt for Thursday night’s series finale with the White Sox, a 3-2 loss in extras. But it wasn’t before 620 fans snagged a free seat and 437 buzzed their heads.
“It’s a big deal around here,” Raleigh said. (Jay’s) a legend. Great player, great person. We should bring it back. It’s a really cool thing for the fans, the community around here.”
Rojas picking it at third
Third baseman Josh Rojas is quietly enjoying one of the sport’s better defensive campaigns at the position. He leads all qualified third baseman with nine outs above average, per Baseball Savant, the continuation of stellar Seattle defense at the ‘Hot Corner’ despite the offseason departure of Eugenio Suarez.
“I always want to be a utility guy,” Rojas said Saturday. “I want the manager to be able to feel like he can use me anywhere on defense.
“But right now, I’m a third baseman, and I feel pretty good over there.”
Consistent, pregame work from third base and guidance from infield coach Perry Hill rewards Rojas with some of the best defensive metrics in baseball — including seven prevented runs.
“I think he’s one of the best defensive third basemen in the league,” Servais said. “We’ve been spoiled here with outstanding defensive play at third base, but Josh is right up there with (Kyle) Seager and what we saw from Geno (Suarez) for a couple of years here. He has been fantastic.”
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