Takeaways From Seattle Mariners Series Sweep Against Tampa Bay Rays
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SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners are hot.
Since the MLB trade deadline, the Mariners are 9-1 and have won three consecutive series. The last two of those series wins were sweeps against the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays.
The sweep against Tampa Bay was special. Seattle hosted "Ichiro Suzuki weekend" and retired his No. 51 before Game 2 of the set Saturday. During that ceremony, the 2025 National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee turned toward the current M's roster, who were watching from the dugout, and told them to "seize the moment." That's exactly what they did.
Here's the takeaways from the series between the Mariners and Rays:
Seattle's key players rolling
Center fielder Julio Rodriguez and catcher Cal Raleigh had dominant showcases against Tampa Bay. Raleigh hit just .231 (3-for-13) but blasted three homers, all multi-run shots, totaling eight RBIs and he scored three runs. His last homer tied Hall of Famer Johnny Bench for the second-most home runs by a catcher in a single season (45) in MLB history.
Rodriguez hit .333 (4-for-12) with two home runs, three RBIs and three runs during the series. Both his homers came in Game 2 of the series Saturday.
💥 Yes Fly Zone 💥 pic.twitter.com/DjgbVbDIJr
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 10, 2025
First baseman Josh Naylor played just two games of the series due to a sore left shoulder, but hit .500 (3-for-6) with two doubles, a home run, two runs and an RBI, with a stolen base.
Several Seattle players, and manager Dan Wilson, have commended the depth of the lineup with the new additions of Naylor and third baseman Eugenio Suarez. It will be hard for the Mariners offense to be bested with the top-to-bottom contributions the order is providing.
Mariners hold keys to their own destiny
There's still 43 more games left in the regular season for the Mariners, and they're not getting too far ahead of themselves. The "seize the moment" advice from Suzuki is something the team has embodied for the duration of the season.
Entering Monday, the Mariners trail the Houston Astros by 0.5 games for first place in the American League West and lead the Boston Red Sox by one game for the top wild card spot.
The Astros and Red Sox will begin a three-game series beginning Monday and Seattle will play the Baltimore Orioles in a three-game series Tuesday.
With the momentum the club currently has, the Mariners could put either Boston or Houston in catch-up mode (depending who leads the upcoming series).
A lot can change before the fall. But for now, Seattle holds the cards. And a well-played hand the next week could be the key to a postseason berth.
Up next
The Mariners will begin their series against the Orioles at 3:35 p.m. PT on Tuesday. George Kirby will start for Seattle and Dean Kremer will start for Baltimore.
Related Stories on Seattle Mariners
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ICHIRO SUZUKI DISCUSSES RETIREMENT CEREMONY: The 2025 National Baseball Hall of Inductee had his No. 51 retired by the organization Saturday. CLICK HERE
MARINERS SHORTSTOP DOES SOMETHING NOT SEEN BY TEAM IN 30 YEARS: J.P. Crawford reached a new career-best and did something the franchise hasn't seen in nearly three decades as the M's beat the Rays on Saturday. CLICK HERE
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