Seattle, WA
Salk on Seattle Mariners: What 'it's early' does and doesn't mean
“It’s early.”
No words have frustrated Seattle Mariners fans quite like those ones. (Well, I could probably think of a few others, like “now batting, Chone Figgins,” but hopefully you get my point).
I think I understand why. When a team starts as horribly as the Mariners have each of the last three years, especially given the high expectations that come with having a superstar like Julio Rodríguez in your lineup, no one wants to hear any excuses. And “early” sounds like an excuse. It sounds like the games don’t matter. It sounds like the poor performance in acceptable.
It invalidates your frustration because it runs contrary to what your eyes clearly see.
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So why do you keep hearing it? From the manager, the GM, the president of baseball operations, reporters, announcers, analysts and radio hosts alike. Are they all trying to make excuses for the team? Are they all just baseball elitists who think they see the game “better” than you do? Are they either protecting their job security or covering their tails?
No. I think they just mean it a little differently than you might be hearing it.
Before we tackle what I think it means, let’s eliminate what it doesn’t mean. Speaking for myself, it does not mean the games don’t matter. Games in April matter every bit as much as the ones in September. They might not be as packed with pressure but they matter just as much. They might be played differently – managers and players have to account for the looooong season, and they tend to treat early games like marathon runners who set a manageable pace before sprinting all out once the finish line is in sight. But they certainly matter.
Early also does not mean excusable. No one wants to see lousy baseball, and what we’ve seen so far from the Mariners would qualify for that description. The offense has been stagnant, the pitching subpar, and the defense worse than anyone would have expected. Being early doesn’t mean those things are OK, and it doesn’t mean they aren’t true. No one thinks the Mariners have played well to start this season, and that includes any and everyone who has said that it’s early.
This year, it’s even more problematic because of the emphasis the team put on trying to fix this trend. They addressed the issue by clearly stating they were aware of its existence and then changing their approach to solve the puzzle.
Being early also doesn’t guarantee that a big winning streak is ahead. The team has relied on those in each of the last two years but they aren’t automatically assumed.
It also doesn’t mean you don’t have a right to react emotionally to what you are seeing. I certainly do! No one wants to see a crucial error. Everyone gets mad when a team gets shutout. It’s completely normal to feel the sing of every loss.
But to me, “early” means that it’s too soon to pass judgement on the future.
Baseball, more than any other major sport, is played over a long stretch of games. That’s handy because it’s also the sport that relies on averages to tell us a story more than any other. Good players have bad stretches, bad players sometimes play very well, and those stretches can last longer than you would think. Generally, it takes a long time for them to even out. But by the end of the season (or sometimes the end of a career), we have a solid amount of data and can determine what (or who) was successful and what was not.
That is nearly impossible to do by looking at a 10- or 12-game snapshot. Unlike basketball or football, baseball teams are not always what they appear in a small sample size. The 2022 Mariners are a great example. They were neither as good as they appeared during their record win streak nor as bad as they seemed to start that season. Over time, we got a true measure of their worth.
The 2024 Mariners have played horribly so far. They attempted to cut down on strikeouts this offseason yet have seen those skyrocket. They traded power for contact and instead have seen a decline in both. They gambled that they could survive despite weakening their defense and it has hurt them in a handful of games. Their pitching has offered them quality starts in just four of 13 games and has failed to lead the team the way it needs to for them to be successful. All of these things are true and all of them are frustrating.
But the fact that those things have been true for 13 games does not mean they will be true for the next 149. Nor does it mean they won’t be. It simply means it has been true for these 13, and if it continues, the team won’t finish anywhere close to .500, let alone in a playoff spot or with the division title.
So when is it no longer early?
It’s a fair question with no specific answer. Generally you need at least a month (maybe two) to generate a large enough sample size to make judgements with any confidence. And even then, players and teams often turn things around for better or worse. But what stands out to me is that manager Scott Servais and the Mariners aren’t treating this slow start as something that must be accepted.
In Game 13, Jorge Polanco dropped from third to fifth in the lineup. It was an easy move to get a hot Ty France behind Julio and to give Polanco a break. But what struck me more was that Cal Raleigh played in that game at all. The Mariners are planning to play him a lot this year, but that plan has always presumably included him getting days off when they play a matinee following a night game. The series finale in Toronto fit into that category, but there was Cal hitting seventh with a lefty on the mound. It turned out to be an important spot as he drove the game-winning home run (his second of the season) in the 10th.
Fans often want to know that the team is taking things seriously and showing the same sense of urgency that they themselves feel, especially during a losing stretch. Modern managers don’t flip tables and they don’t call out or bench their players very often. But if you are looking for proof of urgency, consider that decision to play Cal in the last game of a road trip. Consider Ryne Stanek closing the game in the 10th despite the five-run lead. Those are real indications that the team takes the losses just as seriously as you do, even if they express it differently.
It is early. The story of this season has not yet been written. But the people involved know it won’t stay early forever and this team needs to play a lot better for it to have a happy ending.
More on the Seattle Mariners
• Beef Continues: Cal Raleigh burns Blue Jays manager after big HR
• Why Passan is ‘not there yet’ on panicking about Mariners
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• Seattle Mariners Roster Moves: Seven players involved in flurry
• Seattle Mariners infielder tests the limits with impossibly slow pitch
Seattle Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh is day-to-day with “general soreness” after being pulled from the lineup before Saturday’s game, manager Dan Wilson told reporters after a 3-2 loss in 10 innings against the Kansas City Royals.
Wilson said Raleigh underwent imaging, though he did not specify what on, and the team will assess their star catcher’s status Sunday.
“We’re trying to be as cautious as possible,” Wilson said.
Raleigh was originally slated to start at catcher and bat second in the middle game of the three-game series, but he was scratched from the lineup about 90 minutes before first pitch.
Mitch Garver got the start in place of Raleigh and went 1 for 4 at the plate and struck out three times, including to lead off the 10th inning.
Saturday’s game was the first Raleigh has missed this season. He had started 32 of the previous 33, including 25 at catcher, and came in as a pinch-hitter in the only game he didn’t start.
Raleigh is batting .186 with a .652 OPS, seven homers and four doubles this season. He has hit five home runs in his past 10 games.
Raleigh finished as the American League MVP runner-up during a record-setting campaign in 2025. He led baseball with 60 home runs, setting single-season MLB records for most home runs by a catcher and switch-hitter, as well as the Mariners’ single-season homer mark. Raleigh also drove in an AL-best 125 RBIs while hitting .247 with a .948 OPS.
The Mariners added a third catcher to their 26-man roster shortly after Raleigh was scratched from the lineup. Jhonny Pereda was called up from Triple-A Tacoma and infielder Will Wilson was placed on the 10-day injured list with fractured left thumb.
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• Mariners promote pitcher from Double-A to majors
• A factor that can help Cole Young earn All-Star nod
• Mariners Injury Update: Latest on Miller, Robles and more
• Seattle Mariners place Matt Brash on IL, recall lefty reliever
Reliever Nick Davila is making the jump from Double-A to the big leagues to join the Seattle Mariners.
The Mariners announced they selected Davila’s contract from Double-A Arkansas on Saturday.
Joel Sherman of MLB Network and The New York Post first reported the right-hander was being promoted to the major leagues earlier in the day.
Mariners Injury Update: Latest on Miller, Robles and more
In a corresponding move, left-hander Josh Simpson was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma.
Davila filled the last open spot on the Mariners’ 40-man roster.
Davila, 27, has pitched in eight games with the Travelers this season, posting a 2.00 ERA and 0.78 WHIP with 10 strikeouts to one walk over nine innings of work. He’s held opponents to a .182 batting average.
Davila also pitched in seven games for the Mariners during spring training, compiling 6.75 ERA and six strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings.
Davila, who signed a minor league contract with the Mariners in March 2023, is in his fourth year in the organization. He pitched across three levels of the minors in 2023, including making three starts for Triple-A Tacoma, his only experience above Double-A during his pro career.
In 2024, the Hialeah, Fla., native pitched in 13 games with a 4.98 ERA over 18 2/3 innings for High-A Everett.
Last season, Davila appeared in 39 games at Double-A. He had a 3.55 ERA over 50 2/3 innings.
Davila went undrafted out of South Florida in 2020 before signing a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers a month after the draft. He made his pro debut the following season with Detroit’s Single-A affiliate.
Simpson, 28, was called up by the Mariners on Friday when right-hander Matt Brash was placed on the 15-day injured list with right lat inflammation. He has yet to pitch in a big league game this season.
In nine appearances with Tacoma prior to be called up, Simpson had a 0.96 ERA and 0.96 WHIP with 12 strikeouts and six walks allowed over 9 1/3 innings.
Simpson pitched in 31 games as a rookie for the Miami Marlins last season, posting a 7.34 ERA over 30 2/3 innings.
The Mariners continue a three-game series with the Kansas City Royals on Saturday at 6:40 p.m. Radio coverage on Seattle Sports 710 AM and the Seattle Sports app begins with the pregame show at 5:30 p.m.
More on the Seattle Mariners
• Seattle Mariners place Matt Brash on IL, recall lefty reliever
• When Brendan Donovan is expected to return to Mariners
• The Seattle Mariners’ competition in AL West doesn’t look strong
• Checking in on how notable ex-Mariners are doing with new teams
• Salk’s Take: What’s behind Mariners shaking off their slow start
Seattle, WA
Sporting Kansas City vs Seattle Sounders FC: TV channel, live stream, and kick-off time | Goal.com US
Today’s game between Sporting Kansas City and Seattle Sounders FC will kick-off at May 2, 2026, 2:30 PM.
The TV channel and live stream options for Sporting Kansas City vs Seattle Sounders FC are listed below. This MLS fixture is available exclusively on Apple TV, which holds the rights to every regular-season match, playoff game, and Leagues Cup fixture in 2026. If you already subscribe to Apple TV, you have full access at no extra cost – no separate pass required. You can stream on any device running the Apple TV app, including smart TVs, gaming consoles, and mobile devices.
Sporting Kansas City host Seattle Sounders FC at Sporting Park in Kansas City in a Major League Soccer Western Conference fixture that could not arrive at a more contrasting moment for the two clubs.
Sporting are in the grip of a serious slump. Five consecutive defeats across all competitions have left them anchored near the foot of the Western Conference, and the numbers make for grim reading. They have conceded ten goals in their last three MLS matches alone, with a 5-0 hammering at the hands of Chicago Fire FC last weekend the latest low point.
Seattle, meanwhile, arrive in Kansas City with momentum behind them. Three wins from their last four outings across all competitions point to a side that has found its rhythm, and their 2-1 victory over FC Dallas last weekend kept them firmly in the hunt for a top-four seed in the West.
The Sounders have also been managing CONCACAF Champions Cup commitments alongside their MLS schedule, which adds context to any minor inconsistencies in form. Brian Schmetzer’s side have handled the fixture congestion well enough, and they head to Kansas City as the form team by some distance.
For Sporting, this is a match that demands a response. The club has not won in MLS since late March, and the gap between them and the playoff positions is growing with each passing week. Home advantage at Sporting Park offers some comfort, but the crowd will need a performance to match the urgency of their situation.
Read on for everything you need to know about how to watch Sporting Kansas City vs Seattle Sounders FC live, including TV channel details, live stream options, and kick-off time.
How to watch Sporting Kansas City vs Seattle Sounders FC with VPN
If you are travelling abroad or just want to access your usual streaming services from a different part of the world, you may run into geo-restrictions. This is where a Virtual Private Network (VPN) comes in handy.
A VPN, such as ExpressVPN, allows you to establish a secure, encrypted connection online. By virtually changing your location to a country where the game is being broadcast, you can bypass blackout restrictions and watch your favourite team live. A step-by-step guide is described later in this article, or you can also check out our guide to the best VPNs for streaming sports.
Team news & squads
No confirmed injury or suspension information is currently available for Sporting Kansas City ahead of this fixture, and no projected XI has been released. Updates will be added closer to kick-off as the club provides official confirmation.
Seattle Sounders FC have also not released team news at this stage, with no injuries, suspensions, or probable lineup listed. Check back for the latest squad information before the match.
Form
Sporting Kansas City have lost all five of their last matches across all competitions, recording a W0-D0-L5 run. Their most recent defeat was a 5-0 loss to Chicago Fire FC in MLS on April 26, which followed a 3-0 reverse against Vancouver Whitecaps the previous week. They also lost 3-0 to Colorado Springs Switchbacks in the US Open Cup and fell 1-3 to San Jose Earthquakes in the league. Kansas City conceded 15 goals across these five fixtures and scored just four, with no clean sheets in the sequence.
Seattle Sounders FC have won three of their last five matches across all competitions. Their most recent result was a 2-1 win over FC Dallas in MLS on April 26. Before that, they beat St. Louis City 4-1 in the league and defeated Tigres 3-1 in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, though they had lost the first leg of that tie 2-0. Across the five games, Seattle scored ten goals and conceded five.
Head-to-Head Record
The most recent meeting between these sides came on August 25, 2025, when Seattle Sounders FC beat Sporting Kansas City 5-2 in an MLS fixture played at Lumen Field. Across the last five head-to-head matches, Seattle have won three and Sporting have won one, with one further result going in Sporting’s favour on home soil — a 2-1 win in Kansas City in July 2025. The Sounders have generally held the upper hand in this fixture, with the aggregate scoreline across the five games reflecting their dominance.
Standings
In the MLS Western Conference, Seattle Sounders FC currently sit fourth, while Sporting Kansas City are positioned 15th.
Step-by-step VPN guide to watch Sporting Kansas City vs Seattle Sounders FC today
NordVPN
- Download & Install: Sign up to ExpressVPN or another reputable VPN service (check out GOAL’s guide here) and download the app on your device.
- Connect to a Server: Open the app and select a server location where the match is being shown (e.g. if you are in the UK but want to watch a US stream, connect to a US server).
- Clear Cache: Sometimes your browser holds onto your old location. Clear your cookies or refresh your browser to ensure the change takes effect.
- Start Streaming: Go to your broadcaster’s website and app and enjoy the game.
How to watch on the Big Screen
Watching on your phone or laptop is fine, but live sports belongs on the big screen. Here is how to get the VPN working on your TV:
- Smart TVs & Fire Stick: Most Android-based TVs and devices like the Amazon Fire TV Stick or Google Chromecast with Google TV have native VPN apps. Simply search for your VPN provider in the app store on your TV, log in, and connect just like you would on your phone.
- Apple TV, Roku & Consoles: These devices often don’t support direct VPN apps. The easiest workaround is to use Smart DNS (usually found in your VPN account settings) or Mirror/Cast the stream from your VPN-connected phone or laptop to your TV.
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