Mariners salvage win in Red Sox series finale but questions remain

Logan Gilbert shines on Father’s Day and the Mariners go back above .500, but this has been a disappointing first half of the 2026 season.

Sunday proved to be a special day for fathers everywhere in general, but for those who specifically support the Mariners, as the team beat the Red Sox 3-1 to avoid a series sweep. And Logan Gilbert led the way with a tremendous outing on his first Father’s Day as a dad.

Gilbert will be the first to admit he hasn’t been up to the expected standard this season, plagued by an inconsistency that has infected the majority of the rotation. However, he seems to have now rediscovered the form which helped him dominate in 2024, with Sunday representing his third consecutive start of going at least 6.0 innings and only allowing one earned run.

Sure, Gilbert wasn’t quite as dominant as his previous outing versus the Orioles, when he went 7.0 innings and struck out a season-high 10 batters. However, 6.1 innings of allowing only three hits, two walks and one earned run will do very nicely thank you, with him also recording eight K’s.

Logan Gilbert using dad strength to get improved results

By the time Gilbert was replaced, the sold-out crowd of 45,577 people rose up to give him a loud ovation, clearly appreciative of the effort. What made it even more special for the righty was that his son Henry was there along with other members of his family, and postgame he said:

“Yeah, it was a lot of fun. I saw them right away in the crowd where they were sitting and just waving at me. And he always loves being at the game, so I was glad everything went well. We got the win. And that’s all a bonus. Just to be able to start today and pitch in the big leagues with them at the game, it’s a huge blessing.”

A key part of Gilbert’s improved pitching of late, has been an uptick in his velocity. He jokingly put it down to dad strength, as he said:

“I think the usage has gone up a little bit the last couple games. And when we see if it’s working, just trying to get good counts right away. You see guys like Woo do it all the time, Bryce. Guys with really good heaters trying to just use it, make them swing. And then kind of opens up the secondary stuff later too. So I think Cal is doing a good job of reading where we’re at. And if it’s working, just keep going with it.”

Oh no … not MORE injury concerns

Even allowing for the solo home run Gilbert gave up to tie the game at 1-1 in the top of the third, the most worrying moment for him came on the first play of the seventh inning. He had to run to cover first base and fell while attempting to gather a bad throw by Josh Naylor.

Gilbert was able to stay in the game, but after recording the first out of the seventh with his final strikeout, he was replaced by Gabe Speier. Gilbert is apparently okay, but Mariners fans couldn’t help but panic, given the ridiculous amount of injuries the team has suffered this season.

On this subject, Dominic Canzone was removed from the game in the bottom of the sixth, after suffering right hamstring discomfort. He said postgame that he’s fine and he’s officially been listed as day-to-day, but following recent similar initial prognosis for the likes of J.P. Crawford and Randy Arozarena, nothing can be taken for granted.

Canzone has been tremendous for the Mariners this season, with his .915 OPS and 158 OPS+ both leading the team. On Sunday specifically, his solo blast in the bottom of the second gave the M’s an early 1-0 lead, while his RBI ground out just before he was pulled, completed the scoring in the 3-1 win.

Mariners rotation still needs to improve overall consistency

As for Gilbert’s recent turnaround, fans will similarly be weary, given the aforementioned reference to the rotation being erratic this season. Even Bryan Woo has been affected and while Bryce Miller has avoided the inconsistency bug so far, keep in mind he’s only made seven appearances, after beginning the campaign on the Injured List with a left oblique strain.

For his part, Gilbert isn’t taking anything for granted, but does feel as if he’s turned a corner. He said:

“I think everything’s in a good spot. You never have it all figured out, but we’re always trying to just trend upwards. And I don’t know, whatever’s working, we’re just going to try to keep rolling with it. So I feel like everything’s in a pretty good spot.”

Mariners still have a path to success, but will they take it?

For the Mariners as a whole, no one’s going to claim they’ve turned a corner, despite sitting at the top of their division and just 1.5 games out of the second seed. The reality is that at 40-39 there’s still plenty to be done, especially after losing a series to a Red Sox team with the fewest wins in the AL and who held them to four combined hits in the first two games this weekend.

This is not to say there isn’t still realistic hope for a Mariners team which is traditionally a second-half team and is one of just four to record 85+ wins in each of the five past seasons. Further, they really have been battered by injuries as already mentioned, and still have quality players such as Arozarena, Brendan Donovan and Matt Brash to come back.

Let’s also consider the prospect of some moves ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline. The Mariners are certainly set to be buyers, with fans looking for something similar to last season, when the team acquired Naylor and brought back Eugenio Suárez.

Of course, no matter which players are acquired or return from injury, it’s still up to the big names to show more consistency, whether it be Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez, George Kirby, Andrés Muñoz or whoever. On paper, the Mariners are one of the strongest rosters in the majors, but it’s about translating this to tangible results on the field.

Photos court​‌esy of Tim Rogers Photography

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