Mariners momentum is near season-high following stellar Rangers series

Seattle went 3-1 against Texas to continue treading water as the end of the regular season steadily approaches with the Mariners fighting for a playoff spot

Texas Rangers v Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers v Seattle Mariners / Alika Jenner/GettyImages
1 of 3
Next

The Mariners are on a hot streak. After a stretch of four consecutive losses against the Angels and Athletics, they've gone on to win eight out of their last 11 games. The magic of the City Connect jerseys continues as their record in the blue and black has stretched to an incredible 15-1. In an attempt to give themselves every advantage possible, the team has announced that they will be wearing the City Connect jerseys to kick off the final series of the homestand against the Yankees.

Best Hitter: Victor Robles

19 PA, .563/.611/.688, 9 H, 2 2B, 3 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP, 5 SB

Robles was unstoppable this past weekend, utilizing all of his strengths to put his team on top. He got on base a whopping 11 times while swiping five bags and continues to be a great example of making the most out of a limited power profile.

His .876 OPS since joining the Mariners is the highest mark on the team. Most importantly, he's averaging .333 with a .401 on-base percentage. No other Mariner is averaging above .270 nor getting on base at a clip greater than .360, putting Robles in a league of his own. Let's just hope he is okay after leaving the finale with an apparent leg injury.

Honorable Mention: Julio Rodríguez

20 PA, .412/.450/.824, 7 H, 1 2B, 2 HR, 4 R, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 6 K, 1 SB

This may have been the best series of Julio's year. That's not saying much given his relatively disappointing numbers (.705 OPS after 555 plate appearances) but short bursts like this go to show that he's still capable of playing at a high level. He still has a strikeout/whiff rate problem but he's been better about dialing in his power recently. His .484 slugging percentage in September is the second-highest mark in a month behind the .688 he posted in July.

Best Pitcher: Bryce Miller

6.0 IP, 84 P, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K

Despite pitching in the only loss of the series, Miller can't be blamed for the final result after putting up a one-run quality start. In a duel against highly-toted pitching prospect Kumar Rocker, Miller had just six whiffs (five against his four-seam fastball) but 19 called strikes (five against his sinker). His fastball sat around 95 mph while his breaking balls clocked in around the mid-80s.

Honorable Mention: George Kirby

7.0 IP, 85 P, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Following a disappointing outing against the Padres, Kirby got back to business by allowing just a single baserunner over seven innings. He had eight whiffs (five against his four-seam fastball) and 12 called strikes (seven against his slider). His outing against the Rangers was his 27th quality start since 2022 with no walks, the most in MLB.

Best Moment: Julio Rodríguez hits a three-run homer to turn the tide

After losing to the Rangers 4-5 in the first game of the series, things seemed grim for the Mariners once again in the second game. By the bottom of the seventh inning, the Rangers had a 4-0 lead with a 95% probability to win. Even after a Cal Raleigh sacrifice fly and RBI single by Randy Arozarena to bring the Mariners within two runs, Texas still had a 83% chance to win. With reliever David Robertson taking the mound in the eighth inning, Seattle would need a miracle to come back. That miracle came in the form of a three-run, 419-foot blast by the team's very own superstar.

This seemed to ignite a momentum shift for the rest of the series. Randy Arozarena would walk things off the night after and the Mariners would put on a dominant 7-0 performance to cap things off. It may be too little to late to be hitting this stride as the Astros have been in lockstep and maintain a 4.5 game lead in the AL West, but it's going to be a heck of a last stand in the final stretch of the season.

Next