Mariners vs. Twins: Luke rallies, Gilbert keeps it quality, and Seattle stays chaotic

The Mariners are starting to slip at the worst time. A division lead that seemed comfortable has slowly tightened over the past few weeks, made worse by a few rough series in a row. They've won just three out of their last ten games while the Astros have won nine out of their last ten games, bringing them within 3.5 games of the AL West lead.

Best Hitter: Luke Raley

10 PA, .444/.444/.556 4 H, 1 2B, 2 R, 1 RBI, 3 K

Raley has officially leapfrogged Dylan Moore to become the best qualified hitter on the team, bringing his OPS to .754 and his OPS+ to 118. While it is a little concerning that Seattle doesn't have a single player with an OPS above .760, the team has made it work thus far (kinda) and there's a rotation of guys that step up to the plate series by series.

It was Raley's turn this time, ending his June on a strong note. It was his best month of the year so far with an .857 OPS over 83 plate appearances and was one of the few bright spots on an otherwise dim lineup of slumping bats.

Honorable Mention: Mitch Haniger

7 PA, .299/.429/.800, 1 H, 1 HR, 2 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K

How rough was the Mariners' offense this weekend? Mitch Haniger had the highest OPS on the team by hitting one home run, the only home run hit by anyone on the team. To be fair, he also had two walks which helped lift his on-base percentage and his four total bases was tied for second on the team with Jorge Polanco and Josh Rojas despite Haniger having four fewer plate appearances.

His home run was a 383-foot shot to left field against a Pablo López curveball that ended up right in the heart of the zone. Haniger has actually been crushing curveballs this year, averaging .421 and slugging .684 against the pitch.