Cal seeing ‘a lot of good things’ from M’s as they hit the road

After a slow start to his season, Seattle Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh is starting to heat up.

He believes the Mariners could be close to finding the spark that ignites them, as well.

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Following his historic 60-homer campaign last season, Raleigh was hitting a meager .133 with a .499  OPS, two homers and 24 strikeouts through his 16 games of the 2026 season.

Those numbers have started to climb over the past week and a half, and Raleigh’s showing in Seattle’s three-game series against the Athletics looked to be the potential start of an ascension at the plate for the 2025 American League MVP runner-up.

Raleigh homered in each game of the series while going 6 for 13 at the plate with four extra-base hits, a walk and two strikeouts. The big series raised his batting average 39 points to .198 and his OPS 156 points to .667. It also included a key performance to avoid a sweep in Wednesday’s series finale, as Raleigh hit a solo homer, came up with a big double during a go-ahead seventh inning and provided the two-out single in the ninth that led to Seattle’s walkoff 5-4 win.

Raleigh joined Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob after Wednesday’s victory to a discuss his big series and what he’s seen from the ballclub during an underwhelming 11-15 start. He said he’s feeling more comfortable at the plate now following his early struggles.

“Just trying to take it one pitch at a time. Like I said, obviously not the start you wanted, but it’s not about how you start, it’s how you finish and how you make those adjustments,” Raleigh said. “And it’s kind of where I’m at, just trying to win a pitch at a time and not trying to hit a home run or try to get too big on pitches – trying to stay within myself.”

Wednesday’s victory not only helped the Mariners avoid a sweep, but it also kept them from going under .500 on a six-game homestand and losing for the seventh time in nine games. Seattle’s recent struggles included getting swept on the road in three games against the San Diego Padres, a series Raleigh pointed to as one he believed the Mariners played better in than what the results indicated.

“I didn’t really think we played that bad in San Diego. I thought there were some breaks that just didn’t go our way and I thought we could have left there winning two of three, and that’s just baseball sometimes,” he said. “But it’s a long season. Everything’s amplified early in the season. Obviously, we want (to get) off to a good start, we want to do those things… I think it’s going to be a good road trip coming up, and I’m seeing a lot of good things and I think things are going to start turning around here very shortly.”

Did WBC impact Raleigh’s start?

Many have speculated that playing in the World Baseball Classic could be a culprit for the slow starts from Raleigh and some other MLB stars.

Raleigh said his prep for this season began a little earlier than normal because he was participating in the WBC, but he brushed off the idea that it has impacted his play.

“I don’t really look too much into it. I try to get ready and do the best I can,” Raleigh said. “Everybody’s gonna have their own opinion about it, but I don’t think anybody’s going to say no to playing for their country.”

Listen to Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2-7 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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