“They don’t beat the teams they are supposed to beat.”
It’s a common and familiar fan lament concerning Mariners teams past and even present. The frustration of losing a game or a series to an opponent with a worse record and less talent is one of the more galling traits of mediocre teams that flirt with .500 records and never push beyond.
And while the 2025 Chicago White Sox, who will still lose at least 90 games this season, are still significantly improved from the record-setting dumpster fire of last season, they aren’t, well, good, either.
Much like the series opener, the Mariners left little doubt they were a better team Wednesday evening at T-Mobile Park, jumping out to an early six-run lead and holding on for an 8-6 victory.
A sizable crowd of 32,756 watched as Seattle (62-53) secured a series victory over the White Sox and move within two games of the Houston Astros in the American League West. The Mariners will go for the series sweep Thursday afternoon with Logan Gilbert getting the start against White Sox All-Star Shane Smith.
“Offensively, we did a lot of great things, especially early, with a lot of two-out runs,” manager Dan Wilson said.
Josh Naylor set the tone for the game in the first inning with his mixture of baseball smarts and raw power.
Facing Chicago starter Jonathan Cannon, Naylor ambushed a first-pitch cutter, unleashing his violent, full-body swing on the elevated mistake pitch, sending it into the dining area in the upper deck of right field for a two-run homer. Per MLB Statcast, Naylor’s 14th homer of the season left the bat at 108 mph and traveled 450 feet before landing in a fan’s meal.
A cerebral player who Wilson couldn’t find a comparison to from his playing days, Naylor hit the pitch like he expected it.
But did he?
Well, Naylor had faced Cannon last season, going 1-for-3 with a single and a strikeout. But a glance at the numbers showed a few glaring probabilities that left the ultra-prepared Naylor ready for a cutter. This season Cannon had thrown first-pitch cutters to left-handed hitters 85 times in 207 plate appearances (41%).
“He looks at the game in a different light and takes advantage of the things he sees,” Wilson said.
Naylor didn’t miss the pitch left up in the zone.
“I just honestly just try to see it in my zone, and if it’s there, I want to take a good chance at it and to get my ‘A’ swing off,” Naylor said of his first-pitch approach. “If it’s not, I’m going to try to do my best to lay off it. Sometimes I’m going to overswing and miss it. Sometimes I’m going to foul it off. Sometimes I’m going to completely miss it and roll over it or hit a weak fly ball. But you have to be willing to take your chance and be OK with your result as long as the effort level and intent is there.”
Even after his teammates got him a run of support off Seattle starter George Kirby, Cannon wouldn’t make it out of the second inning. With two outs and runners on first and second, he walked Randy Arozarena to load the bases for Cal Raleigh.
It was an unenviable position for any pitcher, even with Raleigh grinding his way through a brief slow spell where he had just three hits in his last 30 plate appearance with 16 strikeouts. But after seeing hard-hit balls caught in the series opener, Raleigh took advantage of a misplaced 1-2 fastball, yanking a line drive into right field for a two-run single that made it 4-1.
“I feel like he is back to where he has been and finding barrels,” Wilson said. “When you get in those kind of runs, you want to try to do too much. The key is just not trying to do that. And I thought the last several games, he’s been right back where we’ve seen him.”
The Mariners weren’t finished.
After whiffing on a pair of sweepers from Cannon to start his at-bat, Julio Rodríguez didn’t miss a third straight sweeper to him. Instead, he turned the breaking pitch into a laser beam off the out-of-town scoreboard above the Mariners’ bullpen for a three-run homer and a 7-1 lead.
“When you stay middle of the field and you get breaking balls on the plate, you’re able to pull them,” Wilson said. “That’s what he did tonight. He got something that he was able to get a good extension on, and drove it out of the ballpark.”
Given plenty of run support, Kirby gave the Mariners a solid outing. He worked six innings, allowing two runs on five hits with two walks and nine strikeouts to improve to 7-5 on the season.
After the Mariners’ lengthy five-run second inning, Kirby struggled with his command in the ensuing top of the third. He allowed a leadoff single to No. 9 hitter Brooks Baldwin and walked Lenyn Sosa with one out, setting up Andrew Benintendi’s RBI single. Kirby issued another walk before retiring the next two hitters in order. He threw 30 pitches in the inning, effectively ensuring that he wouldn’t make it deep into the game.
“I even went up to Cal and I was like, ‘Hey, let’s have a quick inning here,’ and of course it wasn’t,” Kirby said.
To his credit, Kirby was able to reel in his growing pitch count somewhat, to give the Mariners six full innings, while picking up a quality start. He allowed just one base runner over his final next three innings of work, striking out five of the 10 batters he faced.
“I’m just happy Dan gave me the opportunity to go out for the sixth,” Kirby said.
That the performance wasn’t without its warts certainly speak to future concerns.
Reliever Eduard Bazardo, who replaced Kirby, served up back-to-back homers, allowing three runs in the seventh inning that cut the lead to 7-5.
The Mariners picked up an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh when Naylor stole second and third base for the second straight game to set up an Eugenio Suárez sacrifice fly, which proved useful. Naylor now has 21 stolen bases on the season, more than doubling his career high of 10. He is 10-for-10 in his attempts with the Mariners.
“I just try to go when I see an opportunity and try to impact the game in that way,” he said. “I try to just be a good base runner. If there’s a chance to get into scoring position for the next guy behind me, I want to be able to do that to take pressure off him.”
Called on to pick up the save in the ninth with an 8-5 lead, closer Andrés Muñoz struggled initially, allowing a leadoff homer to Michael A. Taylor and walking the next two batters to put the tying run on base. But he came back to retire the next three hitters to pick up his 26th save.
Mariners playoff odds
Updated as of July 29
Ryan Divish: rdivish@seattletimes.com. Ryan Divish covers the Mariners in Seattle and on the road. Look for his ‘Extra Innings’ podcast and mailbags during the season.
