Commentary: The Mariners have found their fun. Is it sustainable?
On July 24, Cal Raleigh stood in an eerily silent clubhouse, searching for a spark. His Mariners had just been swept in a series for the first time all season, managing six hits in a 2-1 loss to the lowly Los Angeles Angels. It was Seattle’s ninth series loss in its past 10 tries, a seemingly endless march to mediocrity.
The game had provided equal parts insult and injury, with Raleigh fouling two balls in the same at-bat off his exposed right foot – knocked to his hands and knees, wincing in obvious agony, before bravely returning to the box … and striking out to strand a runner.
“We have to enjoy what we’re doing. If you’re not enjoying playing baseball, you need to probably get out,” Raleigh said after the Mariners were booed by 39,953 frustrated fans. “I understand, though. Guys are frustrated because they don’t have the numbers; we’re not performing as well, and it’s hard to have fun.
“It’s kind of like the chicken or the egg. Which comes first: do you have fun before you start winning, or do you have to win to start having fun? That’s kind of where I see the group at right now.”
Nineteen days later, the Mariners have found their fun.
In a sweep-securing 12-1 mauling of the New York Mets on Sunday, every element was on display. There was mic’d-up center fielder (and certified spark) Victor Robles discussing his pet monkeys with the broadcast crew before declaring, “Sorry guys, I have to make the play!”, then sprinting from the scene. There was dominant starter Luis Castillo, corkscrewing Jose Iglesias into the Earth with a tailing 96-mph fastball, then unfurling his famous fist pump as punctuation. There was left fielder Randy Arozarena, continuing Seattle’s string of dazzling defense by diving to steal a hit from Brandon Nimmo (while avoiding a simultaneously sprinting Robles).
With “Sunday Night Baseball” in Seattle for the first time in two decades, there were sunny skies, “Hot Dogs From Heaven” and a stadium-wide wave. There was even a successful major-league debut for 22-year-old reliever Troy Taylor, who struck out two Mets in a scoreless ninth inning while his parents high-fived surrounding fans.
“This was one of those perfect days – the defense working, me and the catcher working. So everything’s clicking,” Castillo said. “You get some of those days. Sometimes it’s good, and sometimes it’s bad. To me, these perfect days, you have to enjoy them.”
Few may have enjoyed it more than Raleigh, who finished 3 for 4 with two titanic homers and five RBIs. The 27-year-old’s 26 homers and 3.3 WAR both lead the Mariners and are most among MLB catchers. It’s safe to say he’s found his fun.
“Cal’s up there, and he’s hunting pitches,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “He’s got all kinds of power, and if you make a mistake and leave the ball in his happy zone … we’re really happy, because good things happen.”
Suddenly, good things are happening, and not by accident. Since Raleigh stood in that eerily silent locker room, the Mariners are 10-5, with series wins against the contending Phillies and Mets. On Tuesday they’ll attempt to maintain that momentum against the Detroit Tigers, who took two of three games last week at T-Mobile Park.
When asked Sunday what’s flipped in the past 15 games, Raleigh – who has not hesitated to ask for reinforcements – pointed to the Mariners’ already impactful additions.
“I look at the deadline. Getting some guys there was a huge morale boost for the clubhouse,” Raleigh said. “Adding pieces and [the front office] saying, ‘We’re going for it. We want to do this thing,’ is huge.”
It helps, of course, that those pieces have produced. In a small sample size in Seattle, Arozarena is slashing .306/.452/.469 with a homer, five doubles and five RBI. The 39-year-old Justin Turner has contributed a .342 on-base percentage, with a grand slam and eight RBI in nine games. Relievers Yimi Garcia (seven innings, three hits, two earned runs, six strikeouts) and JT Chargois (4 1/3 innings, zero hits, zero runs, five strikeouts) have simultaneously excelled.
Most impactfully, Robles – who signed with Seattle on June 4 and agreed to a two-year extension this week – is slashing .303/.372/.450 with three homers, eight RBI and 12 stolen bases in 42 games as a Mariner, while providing that essential and intangible spark.
“Since we made the acquisitions before the trade deadline, there’s just a different vibe in our clubhouse,” Servais said. “There’s a much more confident feel amongst our group. Even on the nights when we don’t ultimately get it done and get the win, there’s just a different feel with where we’re at right now.
“That’s a credit to our players, not just the guys we acquired but the guys that have been here all year. They’re playing and going about it a little bit differently. Overall, it’s just a very confident group right now.”
Together, Robles, Arozarena, Turner and Co. have injected some genuine joy into a previously pressing clubhouse. They joined a roster striking out at a historic rate and coaxed a collective exhale.
But is that success – that spark – sustainable?
With 43 games to go, the Mariners sat at 63-56 entering Monday’s games, tied with the simultaneously surging Astros for the lead in the AL West. (Houston had won five consecutive games entering Monday and has shown no signs of stopping.)
It goes without writing that Seattle needs continued excellence from its scintillating starting staff, which leads MLB with 73 quality starts (12 more than the No. 2 Phillies). A rebalanced bullpen – led by Andrés Muñoz, Collin Snider, Austin Voth, Garcia and Chargois – must also play its part.
Still, Seattle’s run revival is not the sole responsibility of Robles, Arozarena and Turner. The Mariners need inconsistent veterans Mitch Haniger and Jorge Polanco to continue to contribute. They also need a late-season surge from Julio Rodríguez, who struck out in all five of his plate appearances Sunday after missing 17 games because of a high-ankle sprain.
But the Mariners, at least, have found their fun; this egg has finally hatched.