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State of the Seattle Mariners: What stands out at All-Star break

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State of the Seattle Mariners: What stands out at All-Star break


After such a promising start to the road trip, the Seattle Mariners are skidding into the All-Star break on the heels of maybe their most frustrating series of the season.

Mariners select switch-pitcher with first-round pick in MLB Draft

The Mariners began their Southern California trip last week with a two-game sweep of the San Diego Padres and an 11-0 thrashing of the lowly Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night.

But things quickly turned after that.

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On Friday night, the Mariners lost 6-5 on a walkoff two-run home run by Willie Calhoun in the 10th inning. On Saturday night, they fell 2-1. And on Sunday afternoon, they blew a late lead and lost 3-2 after Jo Adell hit a three-run homer in the eighth. Three games, three agonizing one-run losses to one of the worst teams in baseball.

Here’s a look at what stands out for the M’s heading into the All-Star break.

Seattle Mariners standings update

Remember back on June 19 when the Mariners held a massive 10-game lead atop the American League West? That sure seems like a long time ago now. Seattle (52-46) enters the break with just a one-game division lead over the Houston Astros (50-46) and a five-game advantage over the Texas Rangers (46-50). Buckle up, because the final two and a half months could be quite a race in the AL West.

Hitting woes continue

The Mariners had two big offensive outbursts this past week, racking up eight runs and 13 hits against the Padres on Tuesday and 11 runs and 15 hits against the Angels on Thursday. However, those performances came with some major caveats: Seattle scored nearly all of those runs against a Padres rookie starter who entered with a 7.52 ERA, an Angels rookie who was making his MLB debut and an Angels long reliever who was making his season debut.

In their other four games this past week, the Mariners mustered a total of just 10 runs. On Wednesday, they managed just two runs and four hits against the Padres. And over the final 25 innings of their weekend series against the Angels, the M’s totaled just four runs against a pitching staff that has the third-worst ERA in the majors. The series ended with a dismal showing on Sunday, when Angels long reliever Carson Fulmer struck out seven of the 17 Mariners he faced in his season debut. Seattle was no-hit through five innings and finished with 15 strikeouts. It was the eighth time this season that the Mariners have struck out 15-plus times.

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Heading into the All-Star break, Seattle ranks 28th in runs per game (3.87), dead-last in batting average (.219), 25th in on-base percentage (.300), 28th in slugging percentage (.367) and 28th in OPS (.667). The Mariners also have far and away the highest strikeout rate in the league at 28.1%, which is two full percentage points higher than the next-closest team. Seattle has been held to three runs or fewer in 50 of its 98 games, including 14 times in its past 23 games.

Julio heating up

Julio Rodríguez is finally starting to look like Julio Rodríguez. After a perplexing first half of the season, the Mariners’ 23-year-old slugger seems to be rediscovering the superstar form that made him one of baseball’s brightest young talents over his first two MLB seasons. Since July 4, Rodríguez is batting 16 for 30 with three homers and three doubles. To put that in context: He has six extra-base hits in his past 30 at-bats. Prior to that, he had just 13 extra-base hits in 344 at-bats this season. If this is indeed a turning point for Rodríguez, that would be a major boost for Seattle’s struggling lineup.

Cal’s massive week

The other bright spot for the Mariners’ offense this past week was Cal Raleigh. The 27-year-old catcher blasted five homers over the first four games of the road trip, twice homering from both sides of the plate in the same game. During that four-game span, he went 8 for 17 with six extra-base hits. He also picked up his fifth stolen base, making him a perfect 5 for 5 on stolen-base attempts this season after swiping only one bag combined over his first three MLB seasons.

Raleigh has 20 home runs at the break, which ranks 13th in the majors and is three more than any other catcher in baseball. He also has throw out an MLB-leading 23 base-stealers, which is three more than the next-closest catcher. His five stolen bases are also tied for the MLB lead among catchers.

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Gilbert caps first half in style

One week ago, Logan Gilbert was named to his first All-Star Game. The 27-year-old right-hander then backed up his selection with two more brilliant outings. Last Tuesday against the Padres, Gilbert took a shutout into the seventh inning and finished by allowing just three runs and four hits in 7 2/3 strong frames. He then tossed seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball against the Angels on Sunday, while racking up nine strikeouts and no walks en route to his MLB-leading 16th quality starts.

Gilbert has posted a 2.79 ERA and an MLB-best 0.87 WHIP in 132 1/3 innings this season, while totaling 124 strikeouts and 25 walks. He leads the majors in innings pitched, ranks fifth with a .191 opponent batting average and is 10th in ERA. He has allowed one earned run or fewer in 10 of his 20 starts and has thrown seven-plus scoreless innings four times, including three times in his past six outings.

Seattle Mariners’ one-run magic has flipped

Seattle had excelled in one-run games earlier this season, but it’s been the opposite over the past 10 days. The Mariners have lost five consecutive one-run games, dropping three straight one-run games to the Angels this past weekend and back-to-back one-run games to the Toronto Blue Jays the previous weekend. Seattle is now 19-14 in one-run contests this year.

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Up next

After the All-Star break, the Mariners open the unofficial second half of the season on Friday with a massive three-game against the Astros at T-Mobile Park. It will be the third of four series between the AL West rivals this year and could go a long way to determining the division title. Seattle is 5-2 against the Astros this season.

More on the Seattle Mariners

• Seattle Mariners MLB Draft Tracker: Keep up with every 2024 pick
• How Mariners prospects did in MLB Futures Game
• The Mariners player who doesn’t want All-Star break to happen
• Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz added to AL All-Star team
• Seattle Mariners Trade Targets: Three bats from within AL West





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Seattle, WA

A Pike Place Market Bar Is Closing After 36 Years

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A Pike Place Market Bar Is Closing After 36 Years


A longtime Pike Place Market fixture is closing permanently: This week the owners of Pike Brewing Company announced that it will be closing Pike Pub and Pike Fish Bar, which share a space inside the market on First Avenue.

Pike Brewing is a venerable craft brewer, established in 1989 (the fish bar opened much later, in 2022). In 2021, after the death of co-founder Rose Ann Finkel, the brewery partnered with the investment company Seattle Hospitality Group. Last year SHG acquired a controlling stake in Fremont Brewing, bringing the two prominent beer-makers under the same umbrella.

Matt Lincecum, who founded Fremont Brewing and is now the CEO of Pike Brewing, says that rising food and labor costs contributed to the decision to close — ketchup has gone up in price “20 to 40 percent,” for instance. He describes the closure as part of Pike Brewing’s “evolution”: The brand will continue to produce and distribute its beers, and is keeping its taproom at the Seattle Convention Center. Fremont Brewing’s beer garden business is “very healthy,” Lincecum adds.

The closure means that about 35 employees, mostly part-timers, will lose their jobs. Lincecum says that they will be paid and receive benefits until the end of the year. The pub and fish bar will be pouring $4 drafts until it closes on Sunday, November 30.

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Over the summer, Renee Erickson’s famed steakhouse Bateau temporarily closed for a “reimagining,” and it looks like that process is nearly done. Capitol Hill Seattle Blog reports that Erickson’s Sea Creatures group is eyeing a February reopening date, with a revamped menu. Co-owner Jeremy Price told the neighborhood news outlet that the plan is to invite back all former staff members (who, notably, unionized earlier this year). Meanwhile, Sea Creatures is planning to open its long-awaited three new restaurants in Pioneer Square’s Railspur development in December.

Fire breaks out at Green Lake restaurant

Greenlake Bar and Grill, a restaurant at the corner of Northeast 72nd Street and Green Lake Way, is closed after a fire broke out in the kitchen earlier this week. The Seattle Fire Department told the Seattle Times that the fire was accidental and probably caused by faulty wiring. A worker at nearby Revolutions Coffee has started a GoFundMe fundraiser to support the restaurant and its affected employees.

Plantains are back on the menu at Marjorie

Finally, if you’ve visited the latest version of Donna Moodie’s famed restaurant Marjorie, you may have noticed that its famed plantain chips were missing. Well, they’re back! In a press release, the Marjorie’s says that the crispy spiced chips — which have been a staple since 2003, when Marjorie’s was in Belltown — are now officially available at the Central District restaurant.

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Seahawks Notebook: Christian Haynes to start if Grey Zabel out

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Seahawks Notebook: Christian Haynes to start if Grey Zabel out


INGLEWOOD, CA – JANUARY 05: Seattle Seahawks guard Christian Haynes (64) walks off of the field after an NFL game between the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams on January 05, 2025, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. (Jordon Kelly / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images)

Coming off his first appearance for the Seahawks, Christian Haynes will get the start at left guard for Seattle this weekend against the Tennessee Titans if rookie Grey Zabel isn’t able to recover from a knee injury in time.

Head coach Mike Macdonald confirmed on Wednesday that Haynes would get the nod to make his first career start after playing only in relief during his rookie campaign last season.

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“We’ve seen it on our football team, if somebody can’t go for a certain amount of time, whether it’s practice or games, the standard stays the same.” Macdonald said. “We expect you to go in and go rip it for us and he did that. He didn’t bat an eye, and there’s things he’s going to learn from the game, and we’re going to need him to play at a high level if he needs to play this week.”

Zabel didn’t practice on Wednesday due to the left knee injury he sustained late in Seattle’s 21-19 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. While the Seahawks received good news about Zabel’s status, they still might be without him this weekend.

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“It was definitely a surreal moment, but just being ready and locked in,” Haynes said of playing on Seattle’s final drive. “That’s what they need me for, to be ready, to be locked in at all times so I was ready to go out there and then go get a game-winning drive going.” 

Haynes missed the first nine games of the season due to a pectoral injury sustained during the team’s joint practice with the Green Bay Packers in mid-August ahead of their preseason matchup.

“I already hurt it once before that and then the joint practice, it got worse,” Haynes said.

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Haynes was a right guard in college at the University of Connecticut before becoming a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by Seattle. Haynes has been working at both guard spots, as well as center, during his time with the Seahawks.

“I’ve been playing a lot of left guard, practicing both, and then I played preseason games at left guard. So it wasn’t nothing new to me when I was out there,” Haynes said.

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Haynes played ten snaps for Seattle on their final drive of the game as they were able to move to the edge of field goal range for a last-second, game-winning field goal attempt from 61 yards away for Jason Myers.

“It felt good being back out there,” Haynes said. “I felt confident, and I just felt like I go out there and play my best ball I could possibly play. I felt pretty good out there. I felt in my groove. One thing like Coach Mike always says, like, just be loose and focused, and I felt loose and focused out there. Just go out there and block it and play my game.”

Haynes couldn’t crack Seattle’s lineup last season, unable to unseat veterans Laken Tomlinson or Anthony Bradford, and even fellow rookie Sataoa Laumea had better showings when called upon. But Haynes was challenging Bradford for the starting job at right guard in the preseason before his injury put him on the shelf for two months.

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“:Faster with everything I’m doing, with my calls, with my steps, and just seeing things faster as a player,” Haynes said. “Just seeing things before it comes and just then being confident every time in everything that I’m doing.”

Notes:

– Nose tackle Johnathan Hankins won’t play this season for the Seahawks due to a back injury that has kept him out all year. Hankins was placed on the non-football injury list prior to the start of training camp and isn’t progressing to the point of being able to play.

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“I’ll probably leave it private right now, what’s going on with his health, but yeah, he won’t be with us this year,” Macdonald said.

“The back is tricky. If it’s not working, it’s not a fun situation to be in, so we wish him the best.”

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– Rookie defensive end Rylie Mills is getting close to being able to start practicing with the team. Mills, a fifth-round pick out of Notre Dame in April, has been recovering from an ACL injury in his right knee sustained last December.

“I think we’re getting within a couple weeks now of him starting to practice,” Macdonald said.

Mills would need multiple weeks of practice to get up to speed as he hasn’t been on a football field since college, but he’s getting close to becoming an option.

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– Guard Grey Zabel, wide receiver Tory Horton, linebacker Tyrice Knight, and fullback Robbie Ouzts were the four players that did not participate in practice on Wednesday.

Knight sustained a concussion on Sunday, and Horton is still working back from a shin injury that’s kept him out the last two games.

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“Some other guys limited that we’re taking care of with reps, but those are the guys that won’t practice,” Macdonald said.

While Ouzts is dealing with an elbow injury, his absence was for non-injury reasons.

Macdonald said Horton’s chances of playing this week will come down to if his shin injury improves in the coming days.

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“We’ll see. Really just a matter of calming down, so it could happen tonight, it could happen, not tonight,” Macdonald said.

The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.

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MORE SEAHAWKS NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE

Mike Macdonald says Grey Zabel’s knee injury showed “nothing significant” for Seahawks

Seattle Sports Live for Sunday, 11/16

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Takeaways from Seattle Seahawks 21-19 loss to Rams

Seahawks fall to Rams 21–19 after last-second missed field goal

Sam Darnold throws four interceptions as Seattle Seahawks lose 21-19 to Rams

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Seattle Seahawks ‘optimistic’ about rookie Zabel’s injury

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Seattle Seahawks ‘optimistic’ about rookie Zabel’s injury


Head coach Mike Macdonald is optimistic that Seattle Seahawks rookie left guard Grey Zabel avoided a season-ending injury during Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.

Stacy Rost: A Seattle Seahawks problem cost them against Rams

Zabel, Seattle’s first-round pick in the 2025 draft, exited Sunday’s loss in the final minutes of the fourth quarter with a knee injury and did not return. The North Dakota State product was injured on a Kenneth Walker III touchdown run with 2:23 left in the game when left tackle Charles Cross was pushed into Zabel’s left knee.

Zabel was tended to on the ground by trainers before they helped him limp off the field. Second-year pro Christian Haynes played left guard in place of Zabel on the Seahawks’ final drive.

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Seattle’s head coach addressed Zabel’s status during The Mike Macdonald Show on Seattle Sports with Brock and Salk on Monday.

“I’ll say it’s optimistic right now,” Macdonald said. “So initial news is really positive, but let’s get out of the fog here before I start making any declarations.”

Macdonald said his optimism was based off of initial testing done on Zabel. The rookie offensive lineman was scheduled for imaging on his knee Monday morning.

The Seahawks picked the 23-year-old Zabel at No. 18 overall in April out of North Dakota State. The 6-foot-6, 316-pound lineman had played nearly every snap at left guard this season before the injury.

Zabel ranks 68th out of 79 guards with a 49.3 grade, according to Pro Football Focus. That grade does not include Sunday’s performance. He had allowed zero sacks on 267 pass-blocking snaps entering the matchup with Los Angeles.

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The Seahawks are already playing without starting center Jalen Sundell, who was a college teammate of Zabel. Sundell was placed on injured reserve Saturday with a knee injury.

Listen to The Mike Macdonald Show at 9:30 a.m. on the day after every Seahawks game. Hear Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app. 

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• Seattle Seahawks find fault in more than Darnold’s 4 picks
• Observations from Seahawks’ 21-19 loss to Rams
• Instant Reaction: Turnovers doom Seahawks in loss to Rams
• Roster Moves: Seahawks place center Jalen Sundell on IR
• Hall of Fame Seahawks safety Kenny Easley dies at 66






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