Seattle Mariners on Wrong Side of Historic Bludgeoning in Sweep vs. Phillies
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The Seattle Mariners needed Thursday's off day in the worst way after wrapping up a nine-game road trip with a devastating 2-7 record.
Seattle was pummeled at the end of the road trip, losing five games in a row and getting swept by the red-hot Philadelphia Phillies. The M's were outscored 29-13 in the series, and frankly, it didn't feel that close.
The Mariners are now 68-60 and in the third wild card position in the American League. They haven't been to the playoffs since 2022, and haven't won the American League West since 2001. They are 1.5 games back of the Houston Astros in the division.
Unfortunately, the Mariners were on the wrong side of baseball history in the series loss against Philly, according to @OptaSTATS:
The @Phillies had a K differential of +31 against the Mariners this week (46 pitching, 15 batting).
That's the second-largest K differential in any three-game series by an MLB team in the modern era, bested by the Phillies, themselves, vs. the Cubs August 17-19, 1964 (+32).
The @Phillies had a K differential of +31 against the Mariners this week (46 pitching, 15 batting).
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) August 20, 2025
That's the second-largest K differential in any three-game series by an MLB team in the modern era, bested by the Phillies, themselves, vs. the Cubs August 17-19, 1964 (+32). pic.twitter.com/zm6i3gebQW
Starting rotation lets group down
The starting rotation, which is supposed to be the group that leads the Mariners to the playoffs, struggled massively against the Phillies. Logan Gilbert gave up six earned runs in just two innings on Monday, with Luis Castillo giving up three runs over just four innings on Wednesday. Bryce Miller gave five innings on Tuesday, but the bullpen was required to cover a lot of ground, and operate from a deficit.
Bullpen cracks show
The back-end of the Mariners bullpen is full of question marks, and the group wasn't able to keep two of the three games close. Casey Legumina fell apart in the seventh inning on Monday, helping turn a 7-4 deficit into a 12-7 loss. Then, Tayler Saucedo struggled on Wednesday, helping turn a 3-2 deficit into an 11-2 loss. Sauryn Lao didn't help matters either, and the M's have now started experimenting with Emerson Hancock in the bullpen at the Triple-A level.
Offensive woes
The Mariners got home runs from Mitch Garver, Cole Young and Julio Rodriguez in the series, but they are starting to see what life is like when Cal Raleigh doesn't homer, and when the rest of the lineup isn't able to foot the bill.
Randy Arozarena is hitting .177 over his last 15 games, Raleigh is hitting .211 and Jorge Polanco is hitting .196. Add in that Eugenio Suarez (.200) and Josh Naylor (.236) are also struggling, and the offense hasn't been the unit it was expected to be following the trade deadline.
The Mariners will return home on Friday against the Athletics.
Related Stories on Seattle Mariners
NEW PODCAST IS HERE: Brady is back on a Tuesday, talking about the disappointment of this road trip, Dan Wilson's decision to allow Logan Gilbert to throw nearly 50 pitches in one inning, and much more, including the return of Bryce Miller and the nasty situation involving Victor Robles. Furthermore, Brady is joined by Miller from the clubhouse at Citi Field, and he talks with former M's infielder Shawn O'Malley, who is now the hitting coach for the Tacoma Rainiers. CLICK HERE:
SCARY SITUATION: Julio Rodriguez was knocked into by a security guard at the Little League World Series complex, avoiding a scary looking injury. CLICK HERE:
SPECIAL BOND: Luis Castillo and Eugenio Suarez have been teammates for several years, and Castillo recently spoke about Suarez's impact on him. CLICK HERE:
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