Backed by Mariners' hot bats, Evans earns win in MLB debut

SEATTLE -- Maybe it’s a good thing that Logan Evans was invited to T-Mobile Park to soak in the jitters of his MLB debut one day early, because when he finally took the mound on Sunday, the promising right-hander looked cool, calm and collected.

Evans navigated five strong innings to help lift the Mariners to a 7-6 win over the Marlins, allowing five baserunners -- two hits, including a solo homer, and three walks -- and just two runs. He also had three strikeouts while, as he alluded to, throwing the “kitchen sink.”

Evans flashed his entire six-pitch arsenal early and often, using each pitch multiple times the first time through the order and showing poise in the process.

The club’s No. 10 prospect per MLB Pipeline picked up his first career win, while the Mariners (16-12), moved into sole possession of first place in the American League West for the first time this year.

“He was in control of what he was doing the whole game,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said.

Some of that composure could certainly be attributed to run support from an offense that’s provided plenty of it these days, which speaks to where Seattle sits on a broader level -- having now won six straight series while going 13-5 in this stretch.

The Mariners had a late scare when their lead nearly evaporated, as Trent Thornton surrendered a three-run homer to Connor Norby with one out in the eighth inning to make it a one-run game. But he limited the damage from there, and Andrés Mu?oz closed the door in the ninth with his 10th save, tied for the MLB lead.

Mu?oz has yet to surrender a run in 14 outings this season, and he punctuated the day by retiring slugger Agustín Ramírez, who had crushed two homers earlier in the game and another in Friday’s series opener.

That Seattle was able to withstand Miami’s late rally further underscored just how productive its offense has been.

Because if the Mariners can continue to get outings like the one from Evans on Sunday -- and not to mention the encouraging turnaround from Emerson Hancock -- maybe they can also withstand the absences of their two All-Star starting pitchers, Logan Gilbert and George Kirby.

Evans’ new teammates -- particularly Cal Raleigh, J.P. Crawford and Julio Rodríguez -- certainly made him feel that way.

“After we had the big inning, J.P. and Julio both were just like, 'We got you, just keep grinding out there. Keep doing it,'" Evans said. "I was like, 'This is awesome.' I watch these guys on TV, like, all the time, and they're just supporting me, letting me do my thing."

Gilbert was shut down from throwing on Saturday for at least two weeks after suffering a right elbow flexor strain in Friday’s outing, while Kirby still hasn’t reached the point in his rehab from right shoulder inflammation where he's facing hitters -- though he said on Sunday that he’ll throw his first live batting practice on Monday’s off-day.

Entering another season of expectations, and mostly with the same offensive group that fell short of those ambitions last year, the greater theory surrounding Seattle’s roster was that the club would be competitive throughout 2025 on the shoulders of their arms. But it’s actually been the Mariners’ bats that have picked up the pitchers in a turnaround that’s extended for three full weeks.

“To borrow a Mike Cameron phrase, 'Do what you do,' and I think offensively, we've been doing that,” Wilson said. “Guys have been true to themselves to what their identity is as a hitter.”

Evans surrendered his lone homer in the first inning, but Raleigh responded right away, torpedoing his 10th of the year -- and again with the new bat that’s taken the league by storm -- to pull back into a tie for the MLB lead.

Crawford also went yard in the fifth with a two-run shot that traveled a Statcast-projected 417 feet and added more credence to his resurgence. The Mariners’ shortstop has a .913 OPS during this six-series win streak, compared to a .509 OPS in Seattle’s first three series.

But the Mariners also received some sound production via their middle-of-the-field approach, when Rodríguez punched a two-run single to right after Miles Mastrobuoni and Leo Rivas drew two-out walks to flip the lineup over in the second, then Jorge Polanco followed with an RBI double. Polanco, who went 3-for-4, has a .719 slugging percentage this season.