SEATTLE – Since Victor Robles was carted out of Oracle Park in San Francisco, his shoulder in shambles, the Mariners have won seven consecutive series. They’ve beaten the Astros (16-14), Rangers (16-15), Reds (16-15), Blue Jays (14-16), Red Sox (17-15), Marlins (12-18) and Angels (12-17). They’ve been remarkably resilient. They’ve won while losing.
Specifically, they’ve lost six members of the opening-day roster – Robles, Logan Gilbert, Dylan Moore, Ryan Bliss, Luke Raley and Gregory Santos – to the injured list. They’ve lost their opening-day starter (Gilbert), their leadoff hitter (Robles), two starting second basemen (Bliss, then Moore), an American League Player of the Week (Moore, again), and Robles’ replacement in right field (Raley). They’ve used 38 players in 30 games, behind only the Braves’ 39 for the most in baseball.
But while the hits just keep on coming … the hits just keep on coming.
The Mariners exited April with one of MLB’s most effective offenses. They rank second in wRC+ – weighted runs created, a stat that measures offensive production (125, and 100 is league average); third in homers (45); third in on-base percentage (.339); third in barrel percentage (11.3%); sixth in OPS (.754); sixth in hard-hit rate (42.8%); and seventh in runs per game (5.07).
Which begs an inevitable question:
These Mariners?
The same Mariners who struck out 1,625 times in 2024? The same Mariners whose splashy offseason move was to re-sign an injured 31-year-old infielder (Jorge Polanco) whose contract option they had just declined, stick him at a new position and somehow hope it helps? The same Mariners who operate in perhaps MLB’s least hitter-friendly park? The same Mariners whose injured list seemingly grows by the game?
“Obviously, we’ve been dealt some tough blows,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson acknowledged Wednesday, after his team completed a two-game sweep of the Angels with a 9-3 win. “But this is a team that knows how to handle that. They are resilient. We talk about that ad nauseam, and for good reason: because these guys really are.”
The proof was littered throughout Wednesday’s lineup – which featured pitcher Emerson Hancock (who took the spot of injured starter George Kirby in Seattle’s rotation), second baseman Leo Rivas (who earned an opportunity after injuries to Moore and Bliss), rookie third baseman Ben Williamson (who was promoted after Polanco’s side injury prevented him from playing defense) and right fielder Samad Taylor (who earned his first start of the season in Robles’ and Raley’s spot).
This was not Plan A.
Seattle rained 12 hits, nine runs and a six-run seventh inning on the Angels anyway.
For now, it’s easy to ignore the injuries and bask in the bottom line. At 18-12, the Mariners are tied for the fourth-best 30-game start in franchise history. They’re 15-5 since Robles dislocated his shoulder April 6. They embark on a six-game road trip starting Friday against the Rangers and A’s with a two-game lead over Houston in the American League West.
But given the incessant injuries, how long can this last?
History suggests Polanco – the reigning AL Player of the Week – will eventually give in to gravity, after hitting .384 with nine homers, 25 RBIs and a 1.226 OPS in his first 80 at-bats. And that Julio Rodríguez won’t truly find his footing until July at the earliest. And that Moore, who is expected to return from hip inflammation next week, won’t torch opposing pitchers at quite the same clip. And that T-Mobile Park – which has surrendered 43 home runs, fifth most in MLB – will revert to its run-squashing reputation.
I don’t mean to pour curdled milk into your morning coffee.
But history suggests, at some point, the Mariners can’t continue to win while losing.
Unless …
Is it possible all this offense is more than a mirage? Since Wilson and senior director of hitting strategy Edgar Martinez took over Aug. 22, the Mariners rank first in MLB in walk rate (10.9%), second in wRC+ (125), third in on-base percentage (.343), fourth in stolen bases (79), fourth in homers (87), fifth in slugging percentage (.416) and sixth in runs (325). Granted, it’s only 64 games, but that’s an increasingly significant sample size.
If you believe in this offense, then you believe in Wilson, Martinez and hitting coach Kevin Seitzer’s impact. You believe a patient, simplified approach at the plate – plus an aggressive approach on the bases – can maximize a frustratingly fluid lineup.
Through 30 games, the Mariners lead MLB in walk rate (11.5%) by a wide margin, and sit third in stolen bases (37) as well.
“Our guys make you earn it,” Wilson said. “That’s what they’ve been doing so well. It’s what they did very well here in this homestand and on the road previous to that. So they’re continuing to be tough at-bats. You start putting that on the other pitcher, you start running his pitch count up, and it makes for a tough afternoon.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Seattle’s lineup – Plan B, or C or D – was lined with success stories. Such as catcher Cal Raleigh, who remains tied for the MLB lead with 10 home runs. Or left fielder Randy Arozarena, who launched a second-inning solo shot to extend his on-base streak to 25 games. Or shortstop J.P. Crawford, who is 14 for 33 (.424) with 10 RBIs during his current nine-game hitting streak. Or Williamson, who has held his own (.260/.302/.360) in an elevated role.
Or Rivas, who has hit .367 with a .513 on-base percentage in 13 games and 39 plate appearances.
“I’m just glad to help the team win,” said Rivas, a switch-hitter. “Left side, right side, defense, I’m just glad I’m helping right now.”
Before Wilson appeared for his postgame news conference Wednesday, Robles poked his head into the interview room.
Donning a blue bucket hat and a bulky arm/shoulder sling, he held a celebratory broom and shouted, “It’s a sweep!”
Amid the injuries, there have been two sweeps and seven consecutive series wins. The Mariners are hurting, and hitting. It might even stay that way.