Mariners outslug Cubs to clinch important series in Chicago

In a series versus one of the top teams in the National League, the Seattle Mariners show what they’re capable of as the offense comes alive.

The Seattle Mariners entered their weekend series versus the Chicago Cubs in a precarious situation, sitting outside a playoff spot and facing a club with the best record in the National League. It also didn’t help that Dan Wilson’s men were 2-8 in their 10 previous road games.

So of course the Mariners came out and had arguably their best offensive series of the year to date, as they totaled 30 runs over the course of the three games at Wrigley Field. This included tying a season-high of 14 runs in Sunday’s rubber match, in what could prove to be a pivotal point in the 2025 campaign for restoring some confidence.

The 14-6 win contained a bevvy of notable marks, including a season-high 18 hits. Donovan Solano continued his recent resurgence with a third consecutive day of three hits, with Sunday seeing him collect a season-best five RBI.

Solano also left a mark in the franchise record books, as both he and Dominic Cazone had two homers on Sunday. (It was the first multi-home run game of Cazone’s Major League career.) This meant the first time in Mariners history that two players had two or more homers on two different occasions in the same series, following on from Cal Raleigh and Mitch Garver in Friday’s 9-4 win.

Cal Raleigh on a record-breaking pace

On the subject of Raleigh, he had the Mariners’ other home run on Sunday, to contribute to another season-high for the team of five homers overall in a game. In general, this was just a ridiculous series for a catcher who not only solidified his case as the best in the game at his position, but also as a genuine, bona fide contender for American League MVP come season’s end.

The Mariners’ clubhouse leader had four home runs in total during the Cubs series and as of Monday morning he paces the majors with 31 in total. This is four ahead of his closest competitor in Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, who has one more than a certain Shohei Ohtani for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Mariners fans are already well aware that Raleigh is having a special season, but for more context consider that his 31 home runs are behind only Ken Griffey Jr. for the most in team history before the All-Star break. And consider that last year’s Platinum glove winner still has 20 more games to catch Griffey’s marks of 33 (1994) and 35 (1998) prior to the festivities in Atlanta.

For what it’s worth at this stage Raleigh is currently projected to finish with 66 home runs, which would surpass the all-time AL record of 62 set by Judge in 2022. In respect of records, he also scored eight times against the Cubs, to tie a Major League record for most runs scored by a catcher during a three-game series.

Mariners manager gives plenty of praise

Wilson marvelled at just how well his catcher has performed so far this season. Speaking to the media postgame, the Mariners manager said:

“He knows what’s going to happen when he’s going well. He took advantage of that first (at-bat), got a pitch, drove it out of the ballpark – 31 home runs. He just continues to march through history here. It’s fun to watch.”

Wilson also made sure to spread the praise all around, although with special compliments for Solano and Canzone. He said:

“A really nice job by everybody on offense, but Donnie in particular, and Dom, taking advantage of getting an opportunity and making the most of it.”

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Logan Gilbert continues to make positive progress

The game was also notable for Logan Gilbert’s second start since returning from a right elbow flexor strain. He looked excellent through four innings, before giving up three runs during the fifth to pull the Cubs to within 5-4 and end his day.

However, we’re not going to be too critical of Gilbert, who was dealing with the conditions which come from playing at Wrigley Field, combined with facing a team with the second-most runs in the majors. As a final point on the righty, it was encouraging that he did not allow a single walk in his 90 pitches.

With the win the Mariners improve to 39-37 and although they are 5.0 games back of the Houston Astros in the AL West, they are at least in a wild card spot. They now prepare for a four-game series in Minnesota against the Twins, with Bryan Woo taking the ball in Monday’s opener.

Photos court​‌esy of Tim Rodgers Photography

What was your main takeaway from the series in Chicago, whether it be about a specific player or the team as a whole? Most importantly, what is your current confidence level in respect of the Mariners’ challenge for a playoff spot? Let us know in the comments section below.