Mariners News: Josh Naylor wild game, Brendan Donovan update, Cole Young throwback

The Mariners begin Wednesday looking to get their record to .500 for the first time since they were 4-4 on April 3. They're here after a 7-1 win over the Twins on Tuesday that was both the best of times and the worst of times for Josh Naylor.

The bad stuff occurred exclusively on the basepaths for the 28-year-old. After going 23-for-23 in stolen bases in his first 81 games as a Mariner, he was finally caught stealing… twice.

The first was on a pickoff by Twins starter Joe Ryan in the fourth inning, and he was later called out at second in the sixth inning after initially being ruled safe. Replays weren't especially conclusive, but Luke Keaschall did seem to tag Naylor on the backside before his hand got to the bag.

As to the good stuff, Naylor did come through with a game-tying single in the sixth and a three-run homer in the eighth. The latter must have felt good, as he followed it with an early candidate for the bat flip of the year.

Though he'll obviously need to start a new stolen base streak, Naylor's slow start at the plate is beginning to resemble ancient history. Since his two-homer breakout back on April 13, he's batting .360 with four home runs and 13 RBI over 13 games.

With Cal Raleigh (5 HR) and Julio Rodríguez (.322 AVG) also coming online during this span, Seattle's early nightmare with its top offensive trio seems to be over.

Mariners' surge is about to get a boost with Brendan Donovan's looming return

The good news for the Mariners on Tuesday wasn't limited to the action between the lines. They also revealed that Brendan Donovan is nearing his return from the injured list, as Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times passed along. He should be back during the upcoming six-game homestand against Kansas City and Atlanta.

The 2025 All-Star has been out since April 17 with a strained groin. As he took a .437 OBP with him when he hit the injured list, an already struggling Mariners offense figured to be hard-pressed to survive his absence.

Instead, things have been surprisingly peachy. The Mariners have gone 7-3 during Donovan's absence, with averages of 5.1 runs and 1.6 home runs per game. If that continues while Donovan picks up where he left off upon his return, this offense could finally be ready to live up to its promise as one of the elite units in MLB.

Mariners' visit to Target Field brings Cole Young goes back to where it all began

Something really cool happened in the middle of last night's broadcast on Mariners TV, with the crew suddenly showing footage of a 10-year-old Cole Young taking swings at Target Field back in 2014.

Young, now 22, was there to for the Pitch, Hit & Run Competition during All-Star Week. While he says he doesn't remember a lot, he did look back on the event as a formative experience in speaking to Daniel Kramer of MLB.com: “Hitting a ball and seeing it fly in a big league stadium just gave me the idea like, 'I want to do this when I'm older. I want to come back to a stadium when I get older and do it.'”

Cut to now, and Young is making his case as arguably the best second baseman in the American League. He has his question marks, but he's turned into an ace defender and a hitter with a clutch gene, as he showed last night with a go-ahead single in the seventh.

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