Mariners vs. Royals: Raley wreaks havoc, Kirby K's the side, and Mariners find their mojo

Pulling forward to lead the division by 1.5 games over the Texas Rangers, Seattle won two out of three games against one of their more formidable foes so far. With a record of 24-20, the team will have a day off before starting their east coast road trip with a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles.

Best Hitter: Luke Raley

12 PA, .500/.500/1.000, 6 H, 2 HR, 3 R, 5 RBI, 4 K, 2 SB

Raley went on an absolute tear against the Royals, posting an impressive 1.500 OPS over his 12 plate appearances. He hasn't gotten a ton of playtime this year so far, totaling just 92 plate appearances, but his May has been much better than his March/April. In the first month of the season, he had a .505 OPS over 56 plate appearances. In his 36 plate appearances this month, he's at a 1.132 OPS.

With Dominic Canzone back in the lineup to reclaim his position in left field, it'll be interesting to see whether Raley will continue to struggle finding playtime. He's slashing a respectable .276/.315/.425 and with his positional flexibility between first base and the outfield, hopefully the Mariners will still find a way to take advantage of his recently hot bat.

Honorable Mention: Mitch Haniger

12 PA, .400/.500/.700, 4 H, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K

It was a close contest between Haniger and Ty France who put up a respectable 1.167 OPS, but with Haniger's cold stretch before this series, these 12 plate appearances deserve to be called out. He's struggled immensely this month, posting a .550 OPS over 53 plate appearances in May, so his hitting against the Royals was a return to form.

Depending on whether Haniger is able to stay hot or cools back down, he might start to cede some of his plate appearances to Luke Raley, especially given his below-average defensive numbers in right field so far this year. He's got a -3 OAA and -4 DRS, so if his struggles continue expect to see him less and less.

Best Pitcher: George Kirby

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

After giving up four earned runs in five innings to the Twins in his last start, Kirby bounced back in a big way, posting a classic Kirby-esque statline: six strikeouts and no walks. He had 11 swings and misses, eight of which were on his four-seam fastball. It continues to be his best pitch and is striking out opposing batters at a 33.3% rate.

His other fastball, the sinker, has also been immensely potent with opposing batters averaging just .163 against it. It's more of a soft contact pitch with a whiff rate of just 8.8% and a strikeout rate of 15.4%, but his control over the pitch and ability to freeze hitters is incredible.

His season ERA and WHIP now stand at 3.58 and 0.95 over 50 ⅓ innings.

Honorable Mention: Andrés Muñoz

3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

Because of the sheer quality of Seattle's rotation, it's rare that relievers find themselves mentioned in these series recaps. However, with Muñoz's two saves and six strikeouts in just three innings of work, he deserved to get a shoutout. He's been lights out this year, posting seven saves, a 1.47 ERA, and 0.87 WHIP over 18 ⅓ innings pitched so far in 2024. He may not be talked about as much as other closers in baseball but don't let him slip under your radar.