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Mariners vs. Angels: Nuke Raley, B-Money, and Rye Bread and Mustard in the sweep

Seattle capped off a 6-1 homestand with a sweep of the division rivals Angels, with the offense actually leading the way the entire time

By Jason Wang |
Los Angeles Angels v Seattle Mariners
Los Angeles Angels v Seattle Mariners / Stephen Brashear/GettyImages
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After an outstanding showing against the Astros, the Mariners took care of business by beating the Angels handily and outscoring them 19-5 across three games. With a record of 34-27, they now hold a 4.0 game lead over the Texas Rangers to stand atop the AL West.

Best Hitter: Luke Raley

12 PA, .333/.500/1.111, 3 H, 1 2B, 2 HR, 4 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 1 SB

Raley has been immensely streaky this year. After a hot stretch to begin the month, he slowed down significantly towards the end of May. After taking some time, off he came back as good as ever, getting power back in his swing. All three of hits were for extra bases in this series and he got on base six times. He also hit two home runs, the first of which was against a Carson Fulmer slider that hung up in the lower middle part of the zone.

The second home run was against a Griffin Canning sinker that ended up middle-middle and was consequently smoked at 110.8 mph. The distance was just 354 feet but it was more of a line drive home run with a launch angle of just 20 degrees.

Because of his tendency to alternate between hot and cold, his season OPS of .756 seems underwhelming for someone who's been known to have ridiculous hitting outbursts. If he can find consistency, he'll be an integral part of fixing the team's still lackluster hitting.

Honorable Mention: Ty France

12 PA, .300/.417/.700, 3 H, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K

France is slowly but surely warming up. After posting a disappointing .646 OPS in April/March, he improved to a .826 OPS in May and has an 1.000 OPS over the last two weeks. Things seem like they're coming together for him as he's getting on base and hitting for power. His home run against Matt Moore was off the bat at 108.0 mph and traveled 417 feet.

His 114 OPS+ still has a way to go before he returns to his 2021 and 2022 form but he seems to have made the necessary corrections to fix the mistakes he was making earlier in the season. Like Raley, having a productive Ty France at first base would be a huge boost to the offensive momentum for the team.

Best Pitcher: Bryce Miller

6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K

After crushing it in his first eight starts, Miller ran into his first major roadblock after conceding a total of ten earned runs in his two starts against the Orioles and Yankees. This was understandable as those are currently two of the best lineups in baseball and he went back to business against the Astros and then the Angels.

He had 12 swings and misses, seven of which were from his four-seam fastball. The team didn't even need his performance to be that dominant in his start, with the Mariners ultimately winning 9-0 but Miller brought his best stuff regardless.

Honorable Mention: Luis Castillo

7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K

Castillo and Woo both had great starts. In fact, Mariners starters allowed zero earned runs in the three games against the Angels. Castillo just did in a more stylish fashion, with six strikeouts and an incredible 21 swings and misses. 13 of those whiffs were on his four-seam fastball which has already accumulated 10 run value on the season. His slider has also been an effective secondary pitch and has the lowest opponent batting average (.200) among the four different pitches he's thrown this year.

Best Moment: J.P. Crawford hits a grand slam

It's no secret that the Mariners have been encountering offensive issues. They are 26th in MLB with 230 total runs scored, tied with the Nationals and ahead of just the Cardinals, Marlins, and White Sox. The team OPS of .663 is 24th in MLB and things were so bad, the team recently fired bench coach and offensive coordinator Brant Brown.

For some teams, big scoring games and moments can be taken for granted but in Seattle, they're key highlights to be rewatched. Furthermore, the grand slam itself was executed by J.P. Crawford who has been warming up since returning from the IL and was also responsible for an extra innings walk off of the Astros on May 29th.

It wasn't a go-ahead run in late innings and it ended up being a total blowout victory but it was a statement and expression of dominance over the rest of the division. It put the other AL West teams on notice, informing them that the Seattle Mariners were no longer the constant underdog of the 2010s but instead, perennial playoff hopefuls of the 2020s. With their competition floundering, this might be the best year for the team to seize the crown since their historic 2001 season.

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