Mariners vs. Marlins: Ryan brings bliss, Gilbert guts the fish, Julio "Rob"riguez

In what should've been a pretty straightforward series, Seattle struggled against one of their easier opponents. The Marlins have a winning percentage of just 35.1% and have the third-worst run differential in MLB at -121. However, aside from the second game of the series, the Mariners just couldn't seem to put it together.

Best Hitter: Ryan Bliss

11 PA, .600/.636/1.000, 6 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 R, 4 RBI, 1 K, 1 HBP

Since making his debut in late May, Ryan Bliss has been as advertised. Originally acquired from the Diamondbacks as a part of the Paul Sewald trade, he was their #16 ranked prospect in 2022 before a lackluster season reduced his prospect stock. Since being called up, he's slashed .265/.345/.429 over 57 plate appearances and has added some much-needed on-base ability to the lineup, leading the team among hitters with more than 20 plate appearances. He had two, three-hit games to kick things off and collected ten total bases.

The roster will get interesting once Jorge Polanco returns from the IL. He's been hitting incredibly well in Triple-A, posting a 1.474 OPS over 19 plate appearances and looks poised to return to the majors in his full form. However, the Mariners will hopefully look for ways to keep Bliss around, even if it requires some platooning/shuffling of names.

Honorable Mention: Dominic Canzone

10 PA, .556/.600/.889, 5 H, 1 HR, 4 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K

Canzone continues to stay hot in the month of June, bringing his OPS for the month to .932, a massive improvement over the .527 OPS fans saw from him in May. The biggest improvement that he's made is his plate discipline, having drawn seven walks this month instead of just two last month. Don't worry, he's still taking big swings when he needs to.

Best Pitcher: Logan Gilbert

8.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

His fourth quality start in a row was yet another masterpiece, following up an outstanding outing against the Rangers. He had 19 swings and misses, 14 of which were on his slider. His velocity seemed especially hot, getting up to 98.2 mph on his four-seam fastball and 90.0 mph on his slider. Despite the extra gas, three of the four hits he gave up were on his four-seam fastball but he was thankfully able to avoid any runs being created.

Do his current numbers warrant a first career all-star nod? Well, with a 2.71 ERA, 0.89 WHIP (leads the AL), over an MLB-leading 106.1 innings, what do you think?

Honorable Mention: George Kirby

7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

Kirby is on a quality start streak of his own, extending it to three with his outing in the first game of the series. He was aggressive as per usual, logging 13 swings and misses with no walks. Six of these whiffs were on his four-seam fastball and five were on his slider. His sinker continues to be executed with pinpoint command, fooling batters with five called strikes.

Unfortunately, Kirby gave up two home runs in the sixth inning, one to Josh Bell and one to Bryan De La Cruz. Without the proper run support, the Marlins ended up walking things off in the tenth inning.