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Mariners vs. Twins: Garver gets revenge, starters struggle, and Cal makes a sandwich

The Mariners seemed out of their depth against the Twins but still managed to pull off a few highlights in the process

By Jason Wang |
Seattle Mariners v Minnesota Twins
Seattle Mariners v Minnesota Twins / Adam Bettcher/GettyImages
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It was a tough stretch for the Mariners as they dropped three out of four games to the red-hot Minnesota Twins. We're still waiting for Julio Rodríguez to bounce back but in the meantime, here are some players that got hot in the final series of the road trip.

Best Hitter: Mitch Garver

.333/.438/.583, 16 PA, 4 H, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K

He still isn't where he's supposed to be offensively but his performance against his old team has been one of the best series showings he's had this year. He walked more than he struck out, got on base seven times, and hit a home run against Chris Paddack in the third game of the set. It was a bit of a cheap shot, traveling just 362 feet and having an expected batting average of just .410, but it got enough to score.

Fans should continue to monitor Garver's quality of contact figures as his barrel rate of 5.8% is less than half of what it was in 2023. It's a big reason why aside from his walk rate, his hitting has regressed in nearly every way since last year. As the full-time designated hitter for the next few years, fans weren't expecting prime Edgar Martinez but a .632 OPS over his first 128 plate appearances has undoubtedly been disappointing to many.

Honorable Mention: Cal Raleigh

.200/.385/.600, 13 PA, 2 H, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 R, 6 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K

Cal was swinging for the fences against the Twins and statistically, it seemed to work out for him (kinda). Sure, six strikeouts in 10 at-bats might make your great-uncle keel over in shock but three walks and two extra base hits aren't too shabby. It's even less shabby when you consider that the home run he hit was a go-ahead grand slam in the top of the seventh inning, giving Seattle the boost it needed to log their only win of the series. Unlike Garver's homer, Raleigh's was off the bat at a whopping 110.0 mph and traveled 445 feet. It also added a neat 45% to the Mariners' win probability.

He wasn't immune to the same cold start that affected much of the lineup but he's started to approach his career averages. With a 2024 OPS of .750, he's not too far off his last two years in the major leagues. More importantly, he's in the top 2% of qualified hitters when it comes to average exit velocity, barrel rate, and hard-hit rate. The main headwinds he's facing are his strikeout and whiff rates which are both in the bottom 10% of qualified hitters. Like fellow big dumper Kyle Schwarber, it seems that Raleigh has really fallen in love with the three true outcomes and it's been at least a little effective.

Best Pitcher: Luis Castillo

6.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 K

It was a rough time for Mariners starters who couldn't seem to pitch around the potent Twins offense. They combined for 19 earned runs over 19 ⅔ innings and ruined their streak of consecutive dazzling starts. Of these outings, Castillo managed to take the least damage, putting up a quality start in the first game of the series. It was a close game that Seattle ended up losing 3-1 but that was tame compared to the other three games. He still put up 14 swings and misses, mixing in the changeup and slider more often with his four-seam fastball.

After a string of brutal outings to start off 2024 (was there something in the water? I feel like this can be said about everyone on the team), he's finally managed to lock in and has posted a 1.93 ERA with 10.5 K/9 over his last five starts. Giving up three earned runs was the worst we've seen him in a while which speaks to the caliber of pitching he's been dealing out in the past month.

Honorable Mention: Trent Thornton

2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

While the rotation sprung some leaks this week, the bullpen had some strong performances including one of baseball's most underrated relievers. Following up on Castillo's strong start, Thornton did his best to keep the game winnable but lacked the run support to make it happen. He entered the third game in the seventh inning and struck out two of the three batters he faced but after Cody Bolton gave up two more earned runs in the eighth, the game was out of reach once again.

He was great last year and he continues to be great this year, posting a 2.30 ERA and 0.89 WHIP over the 15 ⅔ innings he has pitched thus far. He's got a great sweeper with a BA of just .143 and a curveball that someone is yet to hit.

Best Moment: Cal Raleigh's Go-Ahead Grand Slam Gives Seattle the Win

I already mentioned this when discussing his hitting in this series but this was an impactful way to make his mark in Minnesota. The Mariners have been laughably bad with runners in scoring position, accumulating a total of just 87 RBI with RISP which is better than just one team - the Chicago White Sox. Luckily, the team brought on their current RBI leader in Raleigh with the bases loaded and he delivered.

Seattle's offense needs more of these moments in order to continue being a contender in the AL West. The Texas Rangers recently retook the lead within the division and their OPS of .725 is 10th in MLB while their RBI total of 189 is tied with the Padres for second. Meanwhile, the Mariners are 24th in team OPS at .663 and 25th in total RBI with 134. The pitching is incredible but not infallible, as the Twins proved this week, so the bats still have some work to do before the season really begins to pick up.

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