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Mariners Roundup: Seattle bounces back after disheartening start to Oakland series

The Mariners managed to recover with two wins after being walked off twice in a row to split the series with the Athletics

By Jason Wang |
Seattle Mariners v Oakland Athletics
Seattle Mariners v Oakland Athletics / Thearon W. Henderson/GettyImages
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After the second game of the series, things seemed to have hit an all-time low. In the ninth inning of the first game, Austin Voth gave up the game-winning home run to the first batter he faced, Shea Langeliers. In the ninth inning of the second game, Trent Thornton put two runners on base before Seth Brown's single put the nail in the coffin. Luckily, the Mariners responded by scoring 22 runs over the next two games of the series, escaping Oakland with a tie.

Best Hitter: Victor Robles

17 PA, .538/.625/.769, 7 H, 3 2B, 6 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K, 2 HBP, 2 SB

After a slow August, Robles seems to be bouncing back in September, posting a 1.125 OPS over the first five games of the month. He hasn't been much of a power threat in 2024 but he's the only player on the roster batting >.300 and he's one of just two Mariners with an on-base percentage >.350, the other being Randy Arozarena. He led the team in hits over the series and is on the cusp of having 20 stolen bases this season as well.

Now that he has signed a two-year extension with a club option in 2027, he presents a potential bright spot for the future of the team. In addition to being a great anchor in the outfield for the next few years, his on-base abilities are going to help patch a major weakness in the existing lineup.

Honorable Mention: Cal Raleigh

19 PA, .353/.368/.765, 6 H, 1 2B, 2 HR, 4 R, 7 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 SB

Big Dumper continued to bring the big power in this series, leading the team in total bases with 13. The two home runs he hit against the Athletics bring him to a season total of 29, just one shy of his personal best of 30 set in 2023. More importantly, his 2024 total of 87 RBI has already eclipsed his previous record of 75, also set in 2023, and leads the team by a wide margin. The Mariner with the second-most RBI is Julio Rodríguez with 49.

Best Pitcher: George Kirby

6.0 IP, 85 P, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 9 K

Kirby commanded the strike zone excellently, avoiding any free passes while striking out nine. He had 13 whiffs, split evenly across his slider, sinker, knuckle curve, and four-seam fastball. He also had 18 called strikes, eight of which came against his sinker.

His sinker has had excellent command all year and despite having a whiff rate of 11.7%, 19.7% of them end up as called strikes. It also helps that Cal Raleigh is one of the best framing catchers in the sport this season, sitting in the 98th percentile for framing runs above average with 12.

Honorable Mention: Luis Castillo

7.0 IP, 99 P, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Castillo was effective but fell victim to the long ball with both of his earned runs coming by way of solo homers. Nonetheless, he had 10 swinging strikes (four against his changeup) and seven called strikes. Netting only five strikeouts over seven innings seems quite low for Castillo who has been around the 10 K/9 mark throughout his career, but he still managed to limit the damage and put up a quality start.

Best Moment: Mariners tally up 16 runs in third game of the series

Seattle's lineup is quite an interesting group. Their season OPS of .673 is 27th in MLB, their .218 batting average is dead last, and they have 37 more strikeouts than the next team. However, they have been known to go on unstoppable tears once in a blue moon. The 16 runs they scored against Oakland is the most they have scored in a single game all season, beating the previous record of 12 against the Mets in August.

In fact, the Mariners have nine games where they've scored 10+ runs, tied with the Astros and within the realm of other offensive powerhouses like the Yankees (12), Padres (12), and Orioles (13). Unfortunately, they also have 51 games where they've scored two or fewer runs, the fourth-most in MLB. This lopsided offense which can go from struggling to string three hits together to casually plating seven runners in a single inning has been torture for fans as they've become haunted by the inconsistency.

What's the solution to this problem? A more balanced hitting approach is likely the answer. The Mariners depend on home runs for nearly all of their scoring so when hitters aren't able to barrel up pitches sufficiently, the team falls flat. It may be too late to fix that this year but perhaps it's something that can be rectified in future seasons.

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