Mariners Hoping Series Win Against Braves Begins To Right The Ship
By Jeffrey Nooney, edited by Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - After a frustrating stretch which saw our Seattle Mariners lose 12 of their last 17 ballgames, the ballclub was able to take a series from the Braves down in Atlanta, two games to one. This was the second East coast trip the Mariners have made in three weeks, and it looked to take its toll for the team. Seattle spent August 12th-20th on the East Coast with stops in Baltimore, New York (And Williamsport, PA), and Philadelphia before coming home for just six games. They then went back on the road from August 19th through September 7th with stops in Cleveland, Tampa Bay and Atlanta. We all know the Mariners travel a considerable amount more than any other team in Baseball, but the schedule makers really seemed to have something against our guys with a few of those trips here late into the season.
Baseball is a superstitious game. Players have routines or rituals that they stick with to help them get through the course of the 162 game season, and they typically only tweak those routines if they’re in a slump. Baseball fans are no different. Think back to the 2002 season when the Los Angeles Angels won the World Series. You might not remember many of the players from that team, but you’ve definitely heard of the Rally Monkey. Maybe you’re old enough to remember the rally fries that former Mariners broadcaster Mike Blowers sent to people. In 2022 when the Mariners ended the playoff drought and won the Wild Card series against the Toronto Blue Jays, fans were putting their shoes on their head for a “rally shoe.” Baseball can be weird and superstitious, and so fans in 2025 are no different.
On Saturday, before the start of game two in Atlanta, Mariners fan Absolute Unit (@notBobR055 on X) paid a “witch” on Etsy to cast a spell to turn the season around for the Mariners. The spell must have worked, because Seattle went on to score 28 runs in the two games following the Etsy Witch’s spell. Maybe this is a coincidence, or maybe this is just baseball. Who knows? At the end of the day, the Mariners seem to have some better vibes with this series win and fans of the team are enjoying the shenangians surrounding the team with this Etsy witch.
Game one - Braves win, 4-1
Game one of this series in Atlanta saw the Mariners fall to the Braves by the score of 4-1. Atlanta starter Chris Sale was really tough for the Mariners offense, going six and two thirds innings while giving up just one earned run on four hits with nine strikeouts and no walks. Sale (5-4, 2.38 ERA) was making just his second start of the season after almost missing two months with a fractured rib. Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert (4-6, 3.61 ERA) earned himself another quality start with his performance, as he pitched six full innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits, while striking out seven and walking just one. The Braves took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when shortstop Ha-Seong Kim hit a sacrifice fly to score Jurickson Profar. That was the only run to score until the top of the seventh inning when Mariners second baseman Leo Rivas hit an RBI single, scoring Jorge Polanco to tie the game at one apiece. Seattle brought in lefty reliever Gabe Speier to pitch in the bottom of the eighth inning, where he gave up three runs on four hits without recording an out. Atlanta first baseman Matt Olson hit an RBI single, followed by an Ozzie Albies triple and then a Drake Baldwin single, making the score 4-1 which would be final as the Mariners couldn’t get a comeback going.
Game two - Mariners win, 10-2
The Mariners offense woke up in a big way during game two of this series in Atlanta. Julio Rodríguez got things started in the first inning when he hit his 29th home run of the season, giving Seattle an early 2-0 lead. The Braves got a run back in the bottom of the fourth inning when Matt Olson hit his 22nd home run of the season. Atlanta tied the game at two in the bottom of the sixth when outfielder Michael Harris II hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Drake Baldwin. Rodríguez gave Seattle a 4-2 lead with his second home run of the night and 30th of the season before the Mariners scored two more runs in the inning from Eugenio Suárez’s 43rd home run of the season and an RBI single from J.P. Crawford. In the top of the eighth inning, Seattle first baseman Josh Naylor smashed his 17th home run of the season, driving in three more runs that gave the Mariners a 9-2 lead. Catcher Cal Raleigh hit his Major League leading 52nd home run of the season, giving the Mariners their 10th run of the night to cap off the win for Seattle.
The Mariners welcomed back Victor Robles in a big way in this one too, adding even more good vibes to the blowout victory. Robles had served a seven-game suspension prior to this game for throwing his bat at Athletics pitcher Joey Estes during his rehab assignment down in Tacoma in late August. The suspension was originally set at ten games, but was reduced to seven when Robles appealed. His impact was felt right away, as he went 1-4 with a walk and two strikeouts, in addition to his presence in the Seattle clubhouse.
Game three - Mariners win, 18-2
While most of you were probably watching football, the Mariners took the Braves behind the woodshed early Sunday morning and managed to score more runs than the Seahawks had points in their opener of the 2025 NFL season. No, that was not a misprint. The Mariners really dropped 18 on the Braves, while the Seahawks only tallied 13 points. Maybe its time to get the Etsy Witch on the payroll, and have her start helping out other Seattle sports teams. Seattle hit five home runs in this game, matching the home run number from the night before. Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo finally got things turned around in this game after a rough patch in his season, as he pitched six innings while allowing just one earned run on just four hits. “La Piedra” struck out six and did not walk a batter. Seattle is going to need Castillo to return to form during their last 19 games if they want to make the playoffs for just the second time since 2001, as the rotation overall has had it’s documented struggles throughout the course of the year.
The scoring started for Seattle in the top of the second when Mitch Garver hit a ball to straightaway center field that bounced off the wall, allowing the Mariners backup catcher to rumble his was into his first triple of the season, scoring Josh Naylor. In the top of the third inning with the bases loaded, Julio Rodríguez cleared the bases with a double, giving Seattle an early 4-0 lead. Jorge Polanco followed the blast up with his 24th home run of the season, scoring Rodriguez, and giving the Mariners a 6-0 lead. Josh Naylor got in on the offensive explosion with his 18th home run of the season, pushing the score 7-0. The hit and run parade continued when Randy Arozarena drove in two more with a single, giving the Mariners a 9-0 lead, finally drawing the third inning to an end. Jorge Polanco drove in one more with a sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth inning to complete the double digit scoring performance not even halfway through the game. In the bottom half of the fourth, Jurickson Profar hit a solo home run, his 13th of the season, making the score 10-1 to eliminate the possibility of a shutout for Atlanta. With two outs in the top of the sixth, Eugenio Suárez hit his 44th home run of the season, making the score 11-1.
The Mariners piled on seven more runs in the top of the ninth inning. Outfielder Luke Raley scored on a wild pitch, Arozarena drove in a run with a single before Cal Raleigh hit his 53rd home run of the season, a three-run shot, giving Seattle a 16-1 lead. Raleigh is just one home run away from tying Yankees legend and Hall of Fame outfielder Mickey Mantle for most home runs in a season from a switch hitter. Suárez hit his second home run of the game and his 45th home run of the season, making the score 18-1. Atlanta scored one run in the bottom of the ninth inning with outfielder Michael Harris II hitting a sacrifice fly, making the score 18-2, which was the final total.
Playoff watch
As we enter Monday, the Mariners still sit just 2.5 games behind the Houston Astros for the top spot in the American League West. Seattle holds the third and final wild card spot by 1.5 games over the surging Texas Rangers. The Kansas City Royals (2.0 games back) and the Cleveland Guardians (2.5 games back) are also in the race, as the Royals took two out of three games against the Minnesota Twins and the Guardians took three out of four games against the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend.
What’s next?
The Mariners are finally back home at T-Mobile Park for a seven game homestand. First is a three game series against the St. Louis Cardinals for three games and then Seattle will host the Los Angeles Angels for a four-game series, With only 19 games left this season, this homestand is about as important as they come for the Mariners. After this seven-game stretch at home, they will head back on the road for six games against key opponents. Three games against the Kansas City Royals and three games in Houston to face the Astros, with the series finale being bumped up to Sunday night baseball. The division and the playoffs are available for the Mariners to take, but they just need to take things one game at a time. After that tough road trip, Seattle comes back home to finish the regular season against a couple of National League West opponents. The Colorado Rockies and the Los Angeles Dodgers will each play a three game series against our Mariners, in what will likely be some “must win” games.
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