Mariners keep rolling with the punches—here’s why that could be pivotal

After a 1-5 homestand at T-Mobile Park, the Mariners are back out on the road, where they’ve swept the Padres and taken two of the three from the White Sox.

It wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows over the last week, though. The M’s were dangerously close to dropping the series in Chicago, despite facing the team with the worst record in the American League. After a sound win on Monday night, the M’s lost a 1-0, rain-delayed contest on Tuesday.

In the rubber game on Wednesday afternoon, the Mariners trailed at multiple points before Leody Taveras came through with a clutch, two-run homer in the eighth inning to give the Mariners a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

The win on Wednesday gives the Mariners a 7-1 record in rubber games this season, and helps capture the essence of how they have stayed afloat despite the injury bug rearing its ugly head throughout the first two months—they have been really good at finding a way to win when they absolutely need to.

The Mariners lost the opener of their four-game set against the Astros last night, 9-2, though the vibes could be much worse—and that’s a testament to this team.

Had the Mariners lost their Wednesday matinee to a really bad team, dropped that series, then flew to Houston and gotten shellacked to open up a four-game set against a division rival, the sky would feel like it’s falling down.

But it’s not.

That 7-1 record in rubber games represents six series wins they could’ve potentially lost had they not answered the bell—yet they have.

Now you, the reader, may ask, is this sustainable? Maybe not. Any single game in this sport amounts to pretty close to a coin flip. That’s not the point, though. These wins (and series wins) are all banked. Every time they get a clutch moment from a more unlikely source, that outcome is etched in the win column in permanent marker and can’t be taken away—regression be damned. With the amount of times the Mariners have come up just short over the past decade, you’ll take any statistical anomaly in your favor.

For a perpetually tormented fanbase that is used to assuming the worst whenever something starts to go wrong—and, let’s face it, rightfully so—not having to panic and being able to trust a team’s ability to not let bad things snowball is a welcome change.

So while the M’s may have lost the opener of an all-important Astros series—9-2 mind you—it’s much easier to just say “get ‘em tomorrow” with this team.

In the words of Chumbawamba, they get knocked down and then get up again. Will you ever keep them down? Only time will tell.

Pitching finally picking up the slack

No doubt, the offense has bought this team some time. Going from dreadfully mediocre offensive production in 2024 to one of the best run producing offenses in 2025 probably wasn’t going to keep up forever, especially with injuries piling up. Guys like Jorge Polanco were not going to keep up a 1.200-plus OPS all year, obviously.

But the offensive hot streak that the Mariners put together over the first month and a half—even if it’s finally dying down—held down the fort for this team in a time of dire need. The M’s faced extensive losses in the starting rotation, their calling card. The offense picked up the slack in that moment when it was badly needed.

Perhaps it’s just fortunate timing for a hot streak, but no matter. Instead of staring at a big hole in the standings, the Mariners are seeing their pitching begin to return while still holding a lead atop the AL West standings.

Maybe the Mariners offense isn’t made up of total world-beaters, but even production on par with the top third of the league could be plenty to keep chalking up wins once their full rotation returns. After all, that is what we all said throughout the entire 2024 season.

George Kirby is finally back; Bryce Miller could return from the IL in a matter of days, and Logan Gilbert may not be far behind. The bullpen has also found its groove—behind Andrés Muñoz’s 16 saves and 0.00 ERA, relievers like Casey Legumina and Carlos Vargas have looked increasingly comfortable in higher leverage situations. Matt Brash has finally returned from Tommy John surgery and Gabe Speier continues to frustrate hitters as the Mariners’ lone lefty. The bullpen once again feels like a strength—they are sixth in the Majors in reliever fWAR since the start of May.

Critical Houston series underway

The Mariners return to action tonight in the second game of their four-game set in Houston. After finishing up the roadtrip this weekend, they get a day off and return to T-Mobile Park on Tuesday to host the Washington Nationals in a three-game interleague series.

All six games will be televised on Root Sports and broadcast over the radio on 710 AM Seattle Sports.

This is Rolling Roof Rundown’s weekly Mariners newsletter. You can follow James @johnstonsports.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.