ANALYSIS: Could Recent Hot Streaks Unlock Middle of Seattle Mariners Order?

The Seattle Mariners offense has dealt with various injuries and inconsistencies this season, but a recent solid homestand for two players could mark a turning point for the middle of the order.

Randy Arozarena and Jorge Polanco, when they've both been in the lineup, have rotated between being the cleanup hitter and No. 5 hitter this season. Arozarena has received more cleanup opportunities overall due to Polanco receiving scheduled days off.

Both are coming off a solid respective home stretch. Arozarena played all seven games of the homestand, which Seattle finished 5-2 in, and Polanco played five.

Arozarena hit .346 (9-for-26) with six home runs and nine RBIs and scored six runs in the Mariners' seven home games against the Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Polanco had a .316 batting average (6-for-19) with two runs, three doubles, a home run and an RBI in his five games.

Both players have had their peaks and valleys this season. Entering Tuesday, Arozarena has scored 46 runs in 88 games and has hit 20 doubles, a triple and 14 home runs with 42 RBIs. He's slashed .249/.355/.446 with an .801 OPS.

The Randy Man delivers 💪

Randy Arozarena clobbers a 110.2 MPH shot! pic.twitter.com/xs1i77KIAF
— MLB (@MLB) July 6, 2025

Polanco has scored 28 runs in 72 games and has hit 12 doubles and 12 homers with 39 RBIs. He's slashed .253/.306/.449 with a .755 OPS.

Jorge Polanco, up-and-in -- and out ... No. 1⃣2⃣ of the season.

Exit velo: 96.3 mph
Launch angle: 36°
Distance: 361 ft.
Hang time: 5.9 seconds pic.twitter.com/CNxmAWZvL6
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) July 4, 2025

On top of their encouraging surface numbers in the home stretch, there were also encouraging underlying stats that can bear fruit for the future. Arozarena, who's had three straight 20-20 seasons (20 home runs, 20 steals), often hits his homers to the pull side (left field). Out of his six home runs, four were pulled, two were hit to center field and one was hit to opposite field. It was the most balanced display of power Arozarena has shown since the Mariners acquired him in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays on July 26, 2024.

Polanco has gone through his own ebbs and flows. His slash line has gone from .379/.422/.862 in April to .139/.205/.208 in May to .222/.286/.296 in June.

Polanco has started to hit from both sides of the plate again after being limited to batting lefty for most of the season, and has gotten more playing time in the field after being relegated to the designated hitter role for almost the entire year.

The recent homestand could indicate Polanco is starting to find a middle ground between his torrid April and paltry May and June. His four extra base hits are a good sign that he's been able to maintain his power despite his poor stretches and days off. His last hit in the homestand was against Pirates ace Paul Skenes and was the 1,000th of his career.

Seattle will have six more road games before the All-Star Break. There's a chance that there could be an addition to the lineup in the days following the break depending on what the M's do during or before the trade deadline.

But if this past week indicates a positive shift for Arozarena and Polanco, the middle of the lineup will be a lot more dangerous, no matter if Seattle adds a new bat to the order or not.

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