The season is going from bad to worse for Cal Raleigh and the Seattle Mariners, who lost their fifth straight game Tuesday night (NYY 4, SEA 1) and are a season-high 4 ½ games out in the AL West. They're four games behind the third wild-card spot with six teams ahead of them. Realistically, the AL West title is Seattle's best (only?) shot at returning to the postseason.
"A tough one again tonight," manager Dan Wilson said following Tuesday's loss (via MLB.com). "As we have talked about it before, we need to find that consistency on offense."
The Mariners have scored 0, 1, 2, 1, and 1 runs in their last five games and they're averaging 3.86 runs per game this season, the fewest in baseball. It's 3.47 runs per game since June 1, again the fewest in baseball. The Mariners scored their one run on Tuesday on a Randy Arozarena solo homer. They had two singles and three walks the rest of the game.
Raleigh, the reigning American League MVP runner-up, went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in the loss. He swung through three fastballs well above the zone to strike out to end the game. Raleigh is hitting a woeful .159/.264/.299 this season and ranks dead last in OPS among the 205 hitters with at least 300 plate appearances. He ripped himself and his team following Tuesday's loss.
"We're not playing well. That starts with me. I'm awful," Raleigh said (via The Athletic). "So it is what it is. I've got to find a way to be better and to help bring the guys along, and we've just got to play better ... We just have to do -- I just have to do -- a better job of getting ready to go and be prepared and bringing that edge and that readiness each night at 7 o'clock."
Bednar with the high heat to close out the series opener win ⚡#YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/pXQNFVS8Z2
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 12, 2026
Raleigh added (via MLB.com): "The approach (as a team) is not there. To me, it's just off-balance swings. Late to the heater and early on the offspeed. I'm not pointing fingers. Ultimately, I'm the worst of the group right now. Putting your pride aside, baseball players can be stubborn. You have to put your pride aside."
The Mariners added Taylor Ward at the trade deadline and Brendan Donovan recently returned from a lengthy groin injury, though it hasn't helped the offense. More than anything, the Mariners need the guys who have been there all season to be better. Raleigh, first and foremost, but Josh Naylor and Julio Rodríguez as well. The offensive ineptitude is not one guy's fault.
This weekend, the Mariners go to Houston for three games with the AL West-leading Astros. That could go down as one of the most important series of the season in all of baseball, not just for the Mariners. It's their chance to gain a lot of ground in the division race in a short period of time. It's also a chance for the Astros to bury the Mariners and push them out of the race.
Tuesday's loss was Seattle's fifth straight and 20th in their last 29 games. Only the Athletics (6-24) have a worse record since July 5. FanGraphs puts the Mariners' postseason odds at 28.4%.
