By Paul Taylor Posted on

Mariners show a glimpse of their potential in 7-6 win vs. Dodgers

For one night at least the Mariners lineup showed what it can do; now it’s about building on this and finally fulfilling the preseason hype.

Tuesday night was a sight to behold at Dodger Stadium, as Mariners fans saw everything that was promised ahead of the 2026 season. Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez had home runs, Josh Naylor added a couple of hits and Rob Refsnyder did what he was signed to do, by mashing a two-run blast of his own. Add in Dominic Canzone’s continued success, as he belted two homers, and the end result was a much-needed 7-6 win versus the Dodgers.

Yes, Luis Castillo showed why he needs to be taken out of the rotation sooner than later, after allowing five earned runs and a season-high 11 hits. However, you can’t take away from the fact the Mariners lineup finally offered a compelling glimpse of just what it’s capable of. The question is if they can now build off this inspiring win, and finally get the season on the right track?

There is of course still plenty of work to do, with the Mariners remaining under .500 and with two more games to come in Los Angeles. However, Tuesday night at least provided confidence that they’re more than capable of holding their own against the best that Major League Baseball has to offer. Heck, if the M’s can finally start playing up to their potential on a more consistent basis, they themselves can lay claim to being the best, at least in the underwhelming American League.

The Mariners never felt comfortable versus the Dodgers, but they similarly were also never out of the game. Sure, there were still lingering elements there of not helping themselves, including make a couple of errors and Castillo’s aforementioned performance. However, there was also plenty to like, with the mental fortitude displayed to still beat the two-time defending World Series champions on a night when the team wasn’t firing on all cylinders.

Feel-good stories all around for the Mariners

In the best kind of way, it’s tough to know who fans should feel happiest for following the game. Raleigh desperately needed his 11th home run after enduring a nightmare season, but we’d give the edge to Refsnyder, who has had it even worse. Maybe — just maybe — with him now seemingly over his lingering right knee issue, he can start producing versus lefties as he showed on Tuesday night in his first game back.

The bullpen pretty much did its job once Castillo left following 5.0 innings, although there was the return of the nerve-wracking version of Andrés Muñoz in the ninth inning. He gave up two hits, a walk and a run to allow the Dodgers to pull to within 7-6, before finally slamming the door shut. You can ‘forgive’ this giving he had been on a run of 13 scoreless appearances, but fans will obviously be hoping the display in Los Angeles was a blip rather than hinting at a return to his erratic form from earlier this season.

Mariners manager Dan Wilson has received plenty of criticism recently, and while not all of it has been deserved, it has to be accepted that it comes with the territory. Still, he was understandably delighted with the result. Speaking to the media postgame, he said:

“Yeah, what a ball game tonight. I thought our guys played their hearts out tonight and gave everything. And anytime you go against that team, you gotta really bring it, and they brought it tonight.”

Dominic Canzone continues to soar

It was only recently that Dominic Canzone had the platoon label removed, and deservedly so, with him leading the team with a .863 OPS and 144 OPS+. And Tuesday night was a perfect example of this faith being justified, as both of his home runs came off the left-handed pitchers he had previously only faced sparingly. Asked about where his confidence level is at now against southpaws, he said:

“Definitely a lot higher than it was a couple years! But yes, just again, getting consistent playing time and just getting to be an everyday player, I’ve never taken it for granted.”

As much as Canzone used to carry himself almost too confidently for someone who hadn’t made it yet, we acknowledge this approach has ultimately proven beneficial, with him never giving up on himself. Additionally, his maturity is clearly there for all to see, with him making sure to compliment the team as a whole for what they did against the Dodgers. Discussing how meaningful the win was, he said:

“Yeah, I tried to talk about it a little bit earlier after the game, but just everybody kind of coming through, and that’s the type of baseball that we can play. Top to bottom tonight, the lineup was unreal, so those are the advance that we can put together and that’s the type of talent that we have.”

Making the win even bigger, is that the Mariners had been swept on their previous four road trips to Los Angeles. Now, it’s about seeing if they can win their first series at Dodger Stadium since 2009. Emerson Hancock will take the mound on Wednesday night, with the added storyline of this potentially being his last start before being traded, although we hope this doesn’t happen given how well he has pitched this season.

Photos court​‌esy of Tim Rogers Photography

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