Mariners' 2025 season is teetering on the brink as they welcome Guardians to Seattle

To put it in the politest words possible, the Seattle Mariners are having a nightmare start to June.

Fresh off a dismal sweep at the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Seattle returns home licking its wounds, mentally and physically drained from a road trip that beat down a team that already had plenty of cracks in its armor. What once felt like a promising AL West campaign has unraveled, and now they face a Cleveland Guardians squad that — while dealing with their own flaws — is still outperforming the Mariners in the two areas that matter most right now: wins and runs.

Mariners return home bruised and humbled as June blues deepen

Before we dive into what’s next, the Mariners took a moment to reflect on what recently happened in their series against the D-backs.

“Baseball just kicks your ass sometimes. It’s just kind of how it is,” said Bryan Woo, who took the loss on Wednesday. “Nobody feels sorry for us. Nobody is going to hand us any wins. We’ve got to create our own luck.”

Woo’s words echo the sentiments throughout the Mariners' clubhouse. The frustration is real. But so is the reality — they’ve only won two games out the 10 they’ve played in the month of June.

Julio Rodríguez, often the emotional center of this roster, didn’t sugarcoat it either.

“I know we have lost a good amount of games, but we can’t do anything about that anymore. Just kind of keep moving forward and see what the next one brings.”

And yet, while the message is about perseverance, there’s a growing sense of urgency. The division lead has come and gone, the lineup is lifeless, and injuries have ravaged what was once the league’s most feared rotation.

Manager Dan Wilson tried to strike an optimistic chord, saying: “These guys, the attitude has been there, the energy has been there. Everything’s been there except the results, and we’ve got to change the results. And we will get there.”

Mariners face gut-check series vs. Guardians after beatdown in Arizona

The results he speaks of don’t lie. They’ve been brutal. Which brings us to the Guardians — an opponent that, under different circumstances, might have felt like a breather. Not anymore.

The Guardians have lost 15 of their last 25, but that stat is misleading. They’ve managed to keep their head above water with a slightly more consistent offense. They’re not world-beaters, but they are opportunistic. And right now, that’s all it takes to exploit a team like the Mariners, who can’t seem to string together a clean inning or a clutch hit.

Cleveland comes to T-Mobile Park with more wins than Seattle, more offensive firepower at the moment, and, perhaps most importantly, less pressure.

The Mariners? They’re coming home to face a mirror they don’t appear ready to look into. This homestand isn’t a reprieve — it’s another test. A gut-check, specifically. An opportunity to stop the bleeding for good, before the season completely falls apart.

If they can’t take care of business against a slumping Guardians squad, the conversation in Seattle could shift from playoff dreams to trade deadline triage.

Game Times and Probable Pitchers for Mariners vs. Guardians, June 13-15

• Friday, June 13 at 7:10 p.m. PT: Luis Castillo vs. Gavin Williams
• Saturday, June 14 at 6:40 p.m. PT: George Kirby vs. Tanner Bibee
• Sunday, June 15 at 1:10 p.m. PT: Emerson Hancock vs. Luis Ortiz