SEATTLE -- There was lots of sunshine and lots of hits, and for the Mariners on Sunday afternoon, there was lots of mettle, too.?

Seattle stormed back from down five runs, broke a tie with a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch from Jose Caballero in the seventh inning then held on to a 7-6 victory that secured a series win over a Tampa Bay team that has the AL's best record even with the consecutive losses.

These past 24 hours have represented a notable turnaround for the Mariners after a players-only meeting on Friday that was immediately followed by one of their more stinging losses in a season that¡¯s seen plenty of them. Sunday was also the latest episode of the Mariners offering glimpses of a reverse course from hovering around .500 for nearly the entire year. But it won¡¯t carry weight until they string wins together for an elongated period.

Yet for this stretch leading into the All-Star break -- against Tampa Bay, San Francisco and Houston, all teams occupying playoff spots -- it¡¯s a step in the right direction. They entered the break last year on a 14-game win streak that, in many ways, helped propel them to the postseason.

¡°I talked to our guys earlier today; we've had teams that have limped into the break and we've had teams like last year's team that just took off going into the break,¡± manager Scott Servais said.

What stood out on Sunday wasn¡¯t that the offense broke out against a World Series contender; it was that it did so after falling into a massive -- and early -- hole.

Sunday marked the Mariners¡¯ first comeback of at least five runs since their epic Game 2 win in last year¡¯s AL Wild Card Series in Toronto, and their first in the regular season since July 26, 2021, against Houston, arguably their biggest win that year. They trailed by seven in each.

¡°I saw a lot of Steady Eddy guys, to be honest with you,¡± said catcher Tom Murphy, who reached base in all four plate appearances and crushed his second homer of the series. ¡°This isn't the first time this season that this has happened. ... I think the best thing you can do in this situation is remain level. I think that's something we really did today, and it showed in the end that it pays off.¡±

The formula was patience and persistence, for both Seattle¡¯s bats and Luis Castillo, who despite possessing plus stuff, had fallen into the five-run hole.?

¡°La Piedra,¡± who was named the club¡¯s lone All-Star on Sunday, surrendered solo homers to Randy Arozarena and Isaac Paredes, both on pitcher¡¯s pitches, then was the victim of an aggressive approach from Tampa Bay in the third, when they swung at 22 of his 28 offerings, batted around and posted a four-spot.

But the Mariners immediately responded with four runs of their own. Julio Rodr¨ªguez and Ty France ripped consecutive doubles, then France reached third base after a nasty collision with Paredes, who was attempting to field a grounder from Teoscar Hern¨¢ndez on a would-be putout but was instead forced to exit. Jarred Kelenic followed with an RBI double to the opposite field and Mike Ford ripped a two-run single to make it a one-run game.

In the interim, Castillo retired 11 of his final 12 batters after surrendering his final run.

Murphy¡¯s homer in the sixth tied the game, then Seattle loaded the bases in the seventh for Caballero, who drew the HBP on the first pitch. Moreover, he rebounded from committing a costly error that sparked the Rays¡¯ rally in the third.

¡°I don't often do it, but sometimes just go put your arm around the player and say, 'Hey, check yourself. You're going to have a chance to win the game,¡¯¡± Servais said. ¡°And lo and behold, he's standing at the plate with the bases loaded.¡±

The season is only one game beyond the halfway point. But at 40-42, with six teams ahead of them in the AL Wild Card standings and with the chance to build confidence this week against the Giants (46-37) and Astros (46-38), there¡¯s a platform for the Mariners to lean into the messaging from Friday¡¯s meeting and emerge in the second half on an upward swing.

¡°We have to lean on each other a lot, but I think this group knows what we're capable of,¡± France said. ¡°We're a really good baseball team. We just haven't been consistent this year.¡±