SEATTLE -- For how much has gone wrong with the Mariners so far, one month into the 2025 season, it’s also remarkable for how much has gone right.
If there was a metaphorical dark cloud lingering over T-Mobile Park on Saturday afternoon in the wake of All-Star starting pitcher Logan Gilbert being placed on the 15-day injured list, Julio Rodríguez sliced right through it on the very first pitch that Seattle saw in the first inning.
Seattle’s center fielder crushed a bread-basket fastball up in the zone and pummeled it off the left-field foul pole with a whopping 112.5 mph exit velocity.
And the Mariners never let off the gas from there in a 14-0 win over the Marlins, when they scored their most runs this season.
“He's our teammate, and our friend too,” Rodríguez said of Gilbert. “But I feel like our mentality as a team was that we’ve got to win today. That happened, and it's unfortunate -- and we're going to miss him for sure. Nobody can replace Logan. But as a team, that was in the past for us. We showed up today ready to compete.”
Rodríguez sparked a six-spot in the opening frame and was supplemented by a back-to-back homer from Jorge Polanco -- who blasted another in the fourth -- and a pair of two-run doubles from Ben Williamson and Miles Mastrobuoni. That the latter two were even in the game speaks to the state of Seattle’s roster, which has been besieged by injuries, as Gilbert is merely the latest.
“They’re tough at-bats. They’re tough outs,” Rodríguez said of Williamson and Mastrobuoni, and really, the entire bottom of the order. “I just think it's really good to kind of continue that line moving, the lineup moving, and just kind of turn it over to us. But at the same time, it's kind of everything working together.”
Mastrobuoni was also on the assisting end of a defensive play-of-the-year candidate, alongside shortstop J.P. Crawford, who made a diving stop on an up-the-middle chopper, then flipped the ball from his glove to the second baseman, who then relayed to first base for the out.
That immediately followed a remarkable catch from Rodríguez, gliding into the gap to help back Luis Castillo, who retired 16 of his final 17 batters and surrendered just one hit over six innings.
But the most encapsulating moment of the night -- at least underscoring the confidence that the Mariners are playing with -- was when Randy Arozarena urged manager Dan Wilson and replay coordinator Andy Bissell to challenge a putout in which he attempted to leg out a seventh-inning double. The Mariners were leading by 13 and Arozarena actually looked safe, but home-plate umpire Emil Jimenez indicated that they took too long with their decision.
“We're not going to just stop competing just because we have a really big lead,” Rodríguez said.
To recap what the Mariners have weathered so far, before Gilbert’s development:
? Fellow All-Star starter George Kirby (right shoulder inflammation) has been sidelined since March 7.
? Leadoff man and spark plug Victor Robles (left shoulder dislocation) will be out until around the All-Star break at the earliest.
? Promising second baseman Ryan Bliss (torn left biceps), who made a strong impression after winning the second-base job in Spring Training, is likely out for the season.
? The switch-hitting Polanco has been precluded from batting right-handed and playing the field due to a side issue that he’s been experiencing for three weeks.
They faced another injury scare on Saturday, when Rowdy Tellez was lifted to begin the sixth inning after taking a 93.8 mph fastball off his left hand in the fourth. But the big slugger said postgame that X-rays were negative.
Indeed, the Mariners continue to roll, pulling back into a tie with Texas atop the American League West.
“Resiliency,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “That's the word that keeps coming up.”
Since being swept in San Francisco three weekends ago, when Robles suffered his injury while making a remarkable diving catch into a net, the Mariners have had a big turnaround -- especially at the plate, where they’ve produced one of MLB’s most productive offenses.
In this stretch, they rank second in runs scored (99) and homers (28) and fourth in slugging percentage (.436) and OPS (.778) -- and above all, their 12-5 record is tied for second-best.