Mariners: 3 takeaways from impressive sweep of Rangers

We delve into the three-game home series against the Rangers, with the Mariners looking more like the contender from the past four seasons.

There were signs of life from the Seattle Mariners during their previous series versus the Houston Astros, when they won two of the three contests and really should have swept their divisional rivals. However, it all came together over the weekend against a team which entered the three-game set leading the AL West.

When it was all said and done, the Mariners had played their most consistent series of the season to date, as they swept the Texas Rangers and improved to .500. After beginning the year with a worrying 4-8 record, Dan Wilson’s team have now won four straight and look more like the team which is one of only five in the Majors to win 85+ games in each of the past four seasons.

That the Mariners managed to play so well despite losing both Víctor Robles and Ryan Bliss long-term is impressive, although this doesn’t mean all concerns have been eradicated. In any event, here are three things which stood out over the weekend at T-Mobile Park.

1) Mariners getting a steal on things

The Mariners’ weekend series included Saturday’s 9-2 win, which produced 11 hits and equalled a season-high of nine runs. However, the reality is that they still need to do a better job of scoring in general, with the challenges highlighted by ranking just 25th in batting average and tied-21st in OPS.

In fairness though the Mariners are at least tied-18th in runs scored which, while not great, is still some indication of improvement from last year. And don’t forget they have just completed a stretch of 13 of 16 games at home to begin the 2025 campaign, with the Seattle weather not conducive to hitting well in the early months of the season.

One of the main reasons the Mariners have been able to overcome any limitations, is due to Wilson’s aggressive approach when runners are on base. This is best evidenced by their 23 overall stolen bases through 15 games, being their most ever up to that point in franchise history to begin a season.

This includes seven players who had recorded multiple stolen bases, led by Julio Rodríguez with four and Randy Arozarena with three. (Robles also had three prior to his injury.) The Mariners were also on a nine-game streak of stolen bases following Saturday’s contest, one short of matching the all-time franchise mark of 10 consecutive games.

Alas the Mariners were unable to match history on Sunday, as they failed to record any stolen bases. However, this still remains an effective weapon for Wilson and company to utilize, as fans wait for the bats (and weather) to warm up and produce effectively on a more consistent basis.

2) Logan Gilbert continues to show why he’s the ace

From start to finish last season Logan Gilbert was the Mariners’ best starter, which is saying something when you consider the overall talent in the rotation. However it went beyond this, with the righty proving to be one of the most durable and best pitchers in baseball full stop, as evidenced by leading the Majors with 208.2 innings and a 0.887 WHIP.

As a result it came as little surprise when Wilson named Gilbert as the Mariners’ starter for opening day, something which Luis Castillo accepted graciously. So far the decision has proven to be more than justified, with the 2024 All-Star leading the rotation with a 0.662 WHIP and 2.43 FIP, while also recording a 2.38 ERA.

Gilbert’s most recent start on Sunday was a challenging one, as he needed 26 pitches to get through the first inning against the Rangers. This is part of why he ended up only going 5.0 innings, with him needing 94 pitches combined with the Mariners not wanting to tax their starters so early into the campaign.

Make no mistake though in the reality that Gilbert was still extremely effective, all things considered. He only allowed three hits, a walk and one earned run, while also producing seven Ks and seeing 61 on his 94 pitches called for strikes.

Ultimately all that mattered though was that Gilbert helped the Mariners to victory, with him also notching his first “W” of the season. Speaking to the media postgame about his early season form, he said:

“(My slider) felt good, it felt really good. I missed a couple for sure, but I actually think everything’s progressing really nicely. … From the attack everything’s gone well so far this season, so that’s been good in most of my outings. But I think there’s still a lot in the tank so that’s a good sign for me where I’m at.”

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3) Bombs away for Cal Raleigh

Cal Raleigh had gotten off to a slow start this year, especially by his standards, with a .184 batting average, two home runs and just three RBI entering the Rangers series. Yes plenty of Mariners are similarly off to slow starts — par the norm in Seattle in recent seasons — but it’s a bit different when it’s one of the team’s most productive bats.

In any event, Raleigh exploded into life over the weekend in the three games against the Rangers as he had four hits, which resulted in three home runs and five RBI. This included a two-run homer in his first at-bat during Sunday’s series finale, which proved to be all the scoring the Mariners ultimately needed in a 3-1 win.

This is also the third time in Raleigh’s career that he has hit home runs in three consecutive games, and he will be looking to make it four straight for the first time in his Major League career, on Tuesday evening in Cincinnati. Along similar lines — at least to a certain extent — he has now homered in four consecutive games versus the Rangers.

Of added significance is that Raleigh achieved his success during the weekend using the much talked-about “torpedo” bats. He discussed the polarizing bats with the media following Friday’s series opener, as he said:

“It felt good. I mean the swing felt good, so I was (thinking) I might as well try them. But yes, I put a pretty good swing on it. … I took a few in the cage and a few from each side around it in batting practice, and yeah it works.”

Raleigh is already dangerous enough at the plate, as evidenced by surpassing Hall of Famer Mike Piazza last year for the most home runs by a catcher in their first four Major League seasons. If the three games over the weekend are any indication, he’s about to make life even more miserable for opposing pitchers.

What stood out for you most from the Rangers series? Are the Mariners now set up to continue winning more consistently moving forward, or are you concerned about not having the likes of Robles and Bliss for a substantial period of the season? Let us know in the comments section below.