Just when everything looks bleak, they reel you right back in.

The Mariners, after losing all three games against the Diamondbacks earlier in the week, responded by sweeping the Cleveland Guardians in their return home from a six-game roadtrip.

In game one of the series on Friday, the Mariners fought back after falling behind early on back-to-back solo homers by Nolan Jones and Steven Kwan in the third inning. They responded quickly in the fourth inning with Rowdy Tellez hitting a solo homer and J.P. Crawford driving in another run with an RBI single of his own.

The game stayed tied into the late innings, but the Mariners finally broke through, putting up a four-spot in the seventh and tacking on another run in the eighth. Every player in the Mariners lineup besides Cal Raleigh recorded a hit on Friday night, with the team accumulating seven runs on 16 hits altogether.

Saturday’s game proved to be the most competitive of the bunch. The Mariners jumped out to an early 2-0 lead behind an RBI double from Raleigh and a sacrifice fly by Jorge Polanco. The Guardians would fight back, scoring a single run in each of three consecutive innings in the fourth, fifth and sixth. The go-ahead run in the sixth came across on a wild pitch by Gabe Speier with a runner on third base.

The Mariners still trailed 3-2 headed into the ninth inning, needing to score against All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase in order to keep the game going. Clase’s command wasn’t his greatest, though, and the M’s took advantage. Dominic Canzone led off the inning with a single to put the tying run aboard, and was immediately removed in favor of Dylan Moore as a pinch runner. Moore stole second and would later advance to third on a well-executed sacrifice bunt by Cole Young. Moore would score on a wild pitch to tie the game.

J.P. Crawford and Cal Raleigh were both intentionally walked by Clase in the inning, which eventually led to a bases-loaded opportunity for Polanco with two outs. Polanco made the most of his chance, sending a hard-hit grounder back up the middle and into center field to win the game and walk off the Guardians, 3-2.

On Father’s Day, the Mariners once again got an early lead, but this time they wouldn’t look back. Emerson Hancock spun a gem, working seven scoreless innings before turning it over to the bullpen, who would not give an inch. The Mariners took the final game of the series, 5-0, to sweep the Guardians.

Mariners pitching was incredible over the weekend, allowing only five runs in total over the three games.

Let’s give Emerson Hancock his flowers!

It cannot be overstated how much Hancock has saved the Mariners’ butts over the last two months. In the midst of some serious injury challenges among the pitching staff, Hancock has stepped into a regular starting role and has given the team a chance to win in nearly every start.

While his 4.48 ERA typically wouldn’t be viewed as a particularly impressive figure, it is worth noting that 13 of the 31 earned runs that Hancock has allowed this season occurred in two starts against the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees, the two best teams in the American League at the moment. In his other 10 starts, Hancock has put up 2.86 ERA.

Hancock’s consistency in a time of dire need and turbulence in the rotation could prove to be pivotal down the stretch. Despite a major slide over the last month and a half, the Mariners (barely) find themselves in a playoff spot with players returning. Hancock, though, has been plenty good enough more often than not in the absence of other starters — which is all you can really ask for if you’re the Mariners.

AL West Standings update

Unfortunately, the Mariners’ sweep of the Guardians this weekend did not gain them any ground in the division standings. The Astros continued their hot streak, sweeping the Minnesota Twins this weekend in three games.

However, the Mariners were able to move back into playoff position. Their 36-34 record is good enough for the sixth and final playoff spot in the American League as of right now — a half-game ahead of both the Twins and the Red Sox.

Cal Raleigh All-Star Voting CONTEST!

Alright, folks. It’s time for us to step up as Mariners fans!

Cal Raleigh is currently second-overall in the American League in All-Star voting! The top vote-getter in the AL automatically gets a starting spot in the Midsummer Classic, bypassing the next round of voting. Let’s make sure that Big Dumper will be the starting catcher for the American League in Atlanta this July!

To incentivize voting, Rolling Roof Rundown will be running a contest over the next week. To enter, you must:

• Be a subscriber to Rolling Roof Rundown (it’s free!)

• Follow Rolling Roof Rundown on either Bluesky or Instagram

• Repost the contest on Bluesky or post contest to story on Instagram, using the pinned posts on said social media profiles

• Vote for Cal Raleigh using the link here: https://www.mlb.com/all-star/ballot

• Send a screenshot (example below) to [email protected] proving you voted Cal Raleigh, and note the social media account you used to follow/repost. You must use the email you are subscribed with to send this email!

Next Monday, a winner will be randomly selected to receive two tickets to a Mariners Value Game of their choice this season. The winner will be notified via the email used in the contest. Everyone who enters the contest will also receive a follow back from Rolling Roof Rundown on Bluesky and Instagram.

By the way — you can vote up to five times a day! After you submit your first vote, you can scroll to the bottom of the page to resubmit four more times.

Know your opponent: Boston Red Sox

Speaking of the Red Sox, the Mariners will welcome them to T-Mobile Park for a three-game set beginning tonight. Logan Gilbert makes his highly-anticipated return from the injured list, facing Lucas Giolito.

The Red Sox have been at the center of the baseball news cycle since Sunday afternoon, when it was reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN that they traded 3B/DH Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants for a package that includes pitchers Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks, along with a couple of prospects.

While Devers’ ongoing strife with Red Sox higher-ups has been well-documented in the media, the deal is still a stunner given the size of his contract. Devers is owed over $250 million through 2033, which the Giants will be taking on in its entirety, according to Passan.

Mariners fans will have a front row seat to see how the Red Sox respond to yesterday’s bombshell. Monday night’s game will be the Red Sox’s first since the trade was announced.

The Red Sox are in the midst of a five-game winning streak, having just swept the AL East-leading Yankees at Fenway Park this weekend. They have won eight of their last 10 games, but are 15-19 away from home this season. The Mariners took two of three games from them when they played in Boston back in April.

All three games will be televised in-market on Root Sports and broadcast over the radio on 710 AM Seattle Sports, as usual.

This is Rolling Roof Rundown’s twice-weekly Mariners newsletter. You can follow James @rollingroofrundown.com on Bluesky and, if you haven’t already, subscribe to the newsletter for more news and commentary. Rolling Roof Rundown is now on Instagram and Threads as well.