Mariners News: Randy Arozarena, Logan Gilbert, and Victor Robles

While the Rays are all but eliminated from the postseason given the sheer competitiveness of the AL East, they still proved to be a formidable opponent. It was a relatively low-scoring affair with both teams combining for just 19 total runs over the three-game set but the M's ultimately came out on top thanks to dominant pitching performances and a few long balls.

Best Hitter: Randy Arozarena

12 PA, .455/.500/1.000, 5 H, 2 HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, 4 K, 1 HBP

In his first matchup against the Rays in his career, Arozarena showed up in a big way, coming up clutch in the first game of the series. Against the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the third inning, a 90.8 mph cutter from Ryan Pepiot, Randy hit the ball 376 feet to right field, giving Seattle a crucial 4-1 lead. This single shot added 28.1% to the Mariners' win probability and allowed them to cruise to a 5-1 win.

In addition to being great in this series, Arozarena has been great with the team since arriving in late July. His .779 OPS is the second-highest mark on the team behind just Victor Robles and his on-base percentage of .385 leads all Seattle Mariners.

Honorable Mention: Victor Robles

7 PA, .571/.571/1.000, 4 H, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 SB

Robles didn't get a chance to see action in the first game of the series but helped the team finish strong by leading the offensive charge. He's exceeded expectations this year and with Julio back in the everyday lineup, Seattle's outfield is looking to be in great shape for the next few years.

Best Pitcher: Logan Gilbert

6.0 IP, 97 P, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K

Gilbert bounced back in a huge way following a disappointing start against the Dodgers where he conceded six earned runs. The Baseball Reference game score of 74 was the sixth-highest mark he has seen this season. On the way to ten punchouts, he had 17 whiffs (four against his slider) and 19 called strikes (ten against his four-seam fastball). While the team managed just two runs of support and JT Chargois and Collin Snider faltered coming out of the bullpen, it was still an excellent showing.

Honorable Mention: Bryce Miller

7.0 IP, 91 P, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 10 K

It's remarkable how similar Miller's and Gilbert's starts were on back-to-back nights. It was the second time they had put up consecutive starts with 10+ strikeouts since August 6th and 8th of 2023. Miller had a slightly higher game score of 79 despite giving up a home run to Josh Lowe and it was tied with his start against the White Sox on June 12th for the second-highest game score this season. He had 14 whiffs (six against his four-seam fastball) and 17 called strikes (11 against his four-seam fastball).