Mariners’ explosive offense snuffed out by Joe Ryan and Twins

George Kirby has one of his best starts since returning from injury, but it goes for naught as the Mariners are blanked 2-0 by the Twins.

The 2025 version of the Seattle Mariners has proven to be extremely unpredictable in so much that when you expect good things from them, they regularly fail to live up to expectations. On the flip side though, they have been numerous occasions when hopes were low, but they somehow seem to come up with an impressive result.

Wednesday evening was undoubtedly a case of the former, as an explosive Mariners offense with 47 combined runs in their previous five games, was extinguished by Joe Ryan and the Twins bullpen. While Ryan has been tremendous all season, no one predicted the Mariners to be held to just three hits, one walk and no runs against a team which had lost 11 of their previous 12 games.

One of the few times the Mariners seemed genuinely poised to get something on the board came in the top of the sixth, when Julio Rodríguez led off the inning with a single. However, Cal Raleigh was subsequently struck out and then Jorge Polanco hit into a double play, to end the threat.

A rare off-day for Cal Raleigh

On the subject of Raleigh, he has become must-watch TV for MLB fans all around the country this year, thanks to his Major League-leading 32 home runs. However, Ryan became just the second pitcher in 2025 to strike out the Mariners’ AL MVP candidate three times in a game, helped by mixing a variety of his weapons.

After Ryan left the game following the sixth inning, three Twins relievers combined to help preserve the team’s first shutout since May 17. Speaking to the media postgame, as per Adam Jude of The Seattle Times, Mariners manager Dan Wilson said:

“That’s when you’ve got to tip your cap. Sometimes they are able to execute … and tonight was just one of those nights.”

Wilson expanded on his comments by complementing Ryan specifically. He said:

You’ve got to give credit to Ryan. I thought he moved the ball around well, used his secondaries a lot and when he had his fastball, he located it pretty well. He made it tough for us. Didn’t make many mistakes on the plate.”

George Kirby outstanding for the Mariners

Bringing back memories of the past two seasons, this was another time when an excellent start by a Mariners pitcher was all for naught thanks to the offense doing little. And it was a shame this time especially, with George Kirby having one of his best outings yet since returning from injury.

Kirby was in a zone on the night and didn’t allow a hit until there were two outs in the bottom of the fourth. He would ultimately go 6.0 innings and allow just three hits and a walk, while also striking out three.

However, the Twins finally got to Kirby with him just one strike away from also going six shutout innings. Unfortunately for the Mariners, Willi Castro subsequently belted a solo home run to give the hosts a lead they would not relinquish.

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Mariners blanked 2-0

Kody Clemens would add a solo blast of his own one inning later off Mariners reliever Eduard Bazardo, to make it 2-0 and complete the scoring. However, none of this should take away from just how good Kirby was on the night, as he said:

“I felt great. We had the four-seam up top and it was working really well, and I used my slider and curveball really effectively tonight and kept them off balance. … I thought it was super efficient.”

Teams know Kirby loves to throw his fastball, but it was also noticeable just how effective his slider was versus the Twins. He said:

“We had to keep them off-balance. I could really spot up a two-seam in, but if guys are really cheating to it, it really doesn’t do me much good if I’m just ripping heaters all night, so I need to keep (them) off-balance and use that slider.”

With the loss the Mariners drop to 41-38, 5.5 games behind the Houston Astros at the top of the AL West, but while also maintaining the final wild card spot in the AL. They will look to get back to winning ways in Thursday’s series finale, with Emerson Hancock taking the mound.

Photos court​‌esy of Tim Rodgers Photography

What’s your prediction for the fourth and final game versus the Twins in Minnesota? Will the Mariners take the series, or have to settle for a split? Let us know in the comments section below.