Mariners Push Win Streak To Three Behind Series Opening Win Over Cardinals
By Jeffrey Nooney, edited by Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - After a tough road trip in which we saw our Mariners drop six out of nine games, Seattle took game one of this critical seven-game homestand by a final score of 4-2 against a St. Louis Cardinals team that’s chasing an outside chance at a National League Wild Card spot. With the division leading Houston Astros having the day off, the Mariners picked up a half game in the standings and now sit just two games behind Houston, with a pivotal series looming next weekend in Texas during Seattle’s final road trip of the regular season. Starting pitcher Bryan Woo delivered another six inning performance in the game as the offense came alive in the sixth inning with a four spot that proved to be all they needed.
Pregame frames as the the Mill Creek Little League Softball State Champs and the Bonney Lake-Sumner Little League Baseball State Champs threw out ceremonial first pitches ahead of the Seattle Mariners win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, September 8th, 2025. (Photos by Eric Hiller for Circling Seattle Sports)
Seattle right handed starting pitcher Bryan Woo had yet another quality start in this game, going six full innings, allowing just two runs on three hits while matching a career high in strikeouts with nine, the fourth time he has punched out nine this season. While he did not walk a batter, Woo struggled a bit with first pitch strikes tonight, something he talked about in his post-game press conference. While the command wasn’t as precise as we’ve grown used to with Woo during this career year, his fastball still helped handle the Cardinals hitters with eight of the 14 swing & misses he elicited from the St. Louis lineup coming on his four-seamer. While he wasn’t totally dominant in this game for the Mariners, his strong season continues for a Seattle team that’s head to lean heavily on him considering the issues in the rotation throughout the course of the 2025 campaign.
“You hold yourself to a high standard and there’s certain things that you know you can do better on. Like tonight, I was awful getting ahead in first pitch and stuff like that. There’s always stuff to get better at and stuff that you always want to take and build on.”
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo during his teams series opening win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, September 8th, 2025. (Photos by Eric Hiller for Circling Seattle Sports)
This series opening contest was a pitching duel for the first few innings. Both Woo and Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas were perfect through the first three innings, matching each other as both lineups couldn’t get an early edge. In the top of the fourth inning, Cardinals designated hitter Iván Herrera broke up the makings of a Bryan Woo no hitter with a base hit. Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson, fresh off the injured list, drove him in to snap the scoreless start to this game with his 17th home run of the season, giving the Cardinals a 2-0 lead. Those two hits, along with a Lars Nootbaar single in the sixth, were the only hits the Cardinals had all night. It was looking rough for Seattle until that sixth inning, having gone down quietly against Mikolas for the majority of his outing, before the bottom of the frame when Mariners second baseman and folk hero Leo Rivas led things off with a walk. Randy Arozarena, who had doubled to lead off the fourth but was left stranded, followed Rivas with a single, before AL MVP candidate and MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh loaded the bases with yet another walk.
Frames from the four-run sixth inning for the Seattle Mariners during the teams series opening win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, September 8th, 2025. (Photos by Eric Hiller for Circling Seattle Sports)
Seattle center fielder Julio Rodríguez continued his red hot second half of the season, as he put the Mariners on the board with a base hit through the hole at short that just glanced off the glove of Masyn Winn, before Josh Naylor almost cleared the bases with a double. Rodríguez was thrown out at home as there was some miscommunication on the signal from third base coach Kristopher Negrón, leading to an awkward tag at home plate as St. Louis catcher Jimmy Crooks almost didn’t tag Julio before he stepped on home plate. Naylor used his heads up awareness to steal third base for his 25th stolen base of the season, which proved to be a pivotal fourth run as he was driven in on a deep sacrifice fly to right field from Jorge Polanco. Mariners relievers Matt Brash, Eduard Bazardo and Andrés Muñoz shut down the Cardinals offense to prevent any sort of comeback attempt and secure the win to open up the three-game set. In their combined three innings of work, the three relievers did not allow a hit, struck out five and walked only one.
Frames from the three relievers that came into the game for the Seattle Mariners during the teams series opening win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, September 8th, 2025. (Photos by Eric Hiller for Circling Seattle Sports)
Playoff watch
With just 18 games remaining for the Mariners this season, every win gets you that much closer to a playoff spot and losses by the teams around them in the hunt for October obviously help their magic number. While the Mariners gained half a game on an idle Houston Astros team, they did not separate themselves from the Texas Rangers tonight, who beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-0 at home in Arlington to begin a series, as they trail the Mariners by a game and a half in the Wild Card standings. The Cleveland Guardians also stand pat at 2.5 games behind the Mariners after their 10-2 win over the Kansas City Royals, while the Royals fall to 3.0 games back. Essentially, you should be rooting for the Mariners to keep winning and the Astros, Rangers, Guardians, and Royals to lose games.
Seattle Mariners infielder Leo Rivas lifts the trident following the teams series opening win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, September 8th, 2025. (Photos by Eric Hiller for Circling Seattle Sports)
Quick Mariners notes, from Mariners PR
22,899 was the announced paid attendance at T-Mobile Park for tonight’s series opening contest between the visiting St. Louis Cardinals and our Seattle Mariners in interleague play.
Total attendance on the season at T-Mobile Park: 2,096,456
“Sockeye” the Salmon won tonight’s Mariners “Salmon Run” to open the seven game homestand.
2025 standings, so far
King the Salmon: 26 wins
Sockeye the Salmon: 23 wins
Silver the Salmon: 20 wins
Humpy the Salmon: No wins :(
The Yellow “Mariners Team Store” boat won tonight’s Mariners “Hydro Challenge” to open the seven game homestand.
2025 standings, so far
Red Oberto Beef Jerky boat: 24 wins
Green Muckleshoot Casino Resort boat: 22 wins
Yellow Mariners Team Store boat: 22 wins
The Mariners beat the Cardinals tonight by a 4-2 score in the first game of their 7-game homestand…the Mariners are now 8-5 all-time against the Cardinals and improve to 17-6 (.739) in 23 games at home since the All-Star break, the best record in MLB during that span.
Mariners left fielder Randy Arozarena went 2-for-4 with 1 run and a double in the 4th inning for his 30th double of the season.
He has now recorded 30+ doubles in 4 career seasons (also: 2021, ’22, and ’24), becoming the 10th active player with 4+ seasons of 30+ doubles since 2021, joining Rafael Devers (5), Paul Goldschmidt (5), Freddie Freeman (4), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (4), Bo Bichette (4), Manny Machado (4), Matt Olson (4), José Ramírez (4) and Trea Turner (4).
With 4 more home runs and 3 more stolen bases, he could become just the 3rd player in Mariners history to record 30+ doubles, 30+ home runs, and 30+ stolen bases in a single season, joining Julio Rodríguez (2023) and Álex Rodríguez (1998).
Mariners infielder/designated hitter Jorge Polanco hit a double in the 5th inning, marking his 19th double of the season, the most he has recorded in a season since hitting 35 doubles in 2021 with MIN…he also hit a sacrifice fly in the 6th inning to extend the Mariners 4 run inning and 4-2 lead.
Across his last 18 games (8/17-c), Polo is batting .362 (21x58) with 12 runs, 5 doubles, 6 home runs, 14 RBI, and a stolen base.
Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez went 2-for-4 with an RBI-base hit in the 6th inning…his 158 hits this season are tied for 4th-most in MLB, alongside Luis Arraez-SD, trailing Bo Bichette-TOR (181 H), Trea Turner-PHI (179 H), Bobby Witt Jr.-KC (160 H).
Across his last 14 games (8/24-c), he is batting .357 (20x55) with 13 runs, 2 doubles, 5 home runs, 19 RBI, 2 stolen bases and 2 walks.
Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor hit a 2-RBI double and recorded a stolen base in the 6th inning, marking his 25th stolen base of the season.
He has recorded 13 stolen bases since being acquired by Seattle from Arizona on July 25, which are the 3rd-most in MLB across that span, trailing Jazz Chisholm Jr.-NYY (17 SB) and Juan Soto-NYM (16 SB).
Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo tossed 6.0+ innings and allowed 2 runs on 3 hits (1 home run) with 9 strikeouts in his 28th start of the season…he threw 95 pitches (66 strikes) in his first career start against the Cardinals.
His 9 strikeouts match a career-high, which he has done 5 times including 4 times this season (last: 8/10 vs. TB)…it also marks his 2nd career start of 6.0+ innings with 9 strikeouts without a walk (also: 8/5 vs. CWS).
Tonight marked Woo’s 20th quality start of the season, which is tied with Cristopher Sánchez-PHI for the most in MLB this season…his 20 quality starts are the most by a Mariner in a single season since Logan Gilbert tossed 22 quality starts in 2024.
He has tossed 5.0+ innings in each of his last 30 consecutive starts (9/22/24-c) which is the longest active streak in the American League and is the 2nd-longest streak in the MLB, trailing Zack Wheeler-PHI (41 G)…is also the longest such streak by a starter since Luis Castillo did so in 34 consecutive starts (9/25-22-9/25/23).
In 23 home starts since 2024, he is 14-3 with a 2.40 ERA (36 ER, 135.0 IP) and 133 strikeouts to 21 walks.
The Mariners bullpen (Matt Brash, Eduard Bazardo, and Andrés Muñoz) combined for 3.0 innings of scoreless relief, allowing no hits and 1 walk while striking out 5 of 9 batters faced.
Brash tossed a scoreless 7th inning, striking out 2 of 3 batters faced…he has held opponents scoreless in 39 of his 46 appearances this season, and has recorded 2+ strikeouts in 13 appearances this year.
Bazardo made his 65th appearance of the year which is tied with Griffin Jax-MIN/TB and Jason Adam-SD for the 9th-most appearances this season.
Muñoz recorded his 33rd save of the season, tossing 1.0 innings with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts.
What’s next?
Following tonight’s home win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the opening contest of a three-game series, our Seattle Mariners will look to keep their three-game winning streak going and take the series over their National League Central opponents when game two of this set takes place tomorrow, Tuesday, September 8th. That contest, with a 6:40PM PDT first pitch time that all three games of this series have, features a pitching matchup of left handed starter Matthew Liberatore for the Cardinals and right handed starter George Kirby for the Mariners. Liberatore hasn’t pitched an outing of six innings or more since the end of June, and surrendered three or more runs in every outing of August before throwing four scoreless innings in his first start of September five days ago against the Athletics. Kirby has been solid for Seattle in all but two outings since the beginning of August, and those two games were disastrous. Outside of those two outings, Kirby has thrown six or more innings of two runs or less in five of his last seven starts. Those two starts that went sideways for George saw him give up seven runs on 12 hits in four and two third innings at the Little League Classic against the Mets and seven runs on eight hits in two innings against the Rays on the last road trip.
Off the diamond, there are three key promotional aspects of this ballgame to note for Mariners fans. This is the second of three games this series where the first 10,000 fans through the gates at T-Mobile Park will take home a Logan Gilbert Funko POP!, so if you’d like a collectible size Logan, you’ll want to get down in line early. This is another Mariners Value Game, so fans can get into the ballpark for as low as $11 by clicking on this specific link. Lastly, it’s the third Hello Kitty® night of the season, as fans who purchased a ticket through this specific link on the promotional tickets page will be taking home a Hello Kitty® x Mariners Tumbler with their ticket to the game itself.
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