Mariners Observations: What stood out from series vs Giants

The Seattle Mariners are likely leaving San Francisco wondering what could have been.

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After a pair of walk-off losses bookended a stay in the Bay Area, the M’s are returning home from a short road trip on the heels of being swept over three games by the red-hot Giants, who have won seven straight. With the losses, Seattle has dropped five of its past six games and sits in last place in the American League West at 3-7.

On top of it all, the team may have lost its starting right fielder. Victor Robles was carted off the field in the ninth inning of Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury following a dazzling catch crashing into the netting in foul territory in right field.

Here are three observations from the series with the Giants.

Timely hits needed

Seattle got the clutch hit it needed from Randy Arozarena to tie the game while down to its final strike in Sunday’s walk-off 5-4 loss, but those have been few and far in between through the first 10 games of the season.

Seattle struggled with runners in scoring position once again during its trip to San Francisco, going just 5 for 32 (a .156 batting average) on the series. That included a 3-for-16 performance in Friday’s one-run loss and an 0 for 8 the following day. In total, the M’s left a whopping 35 runners on base.

They’re now last in the majors with a .132 average, .162 slugging percentage and .418 OPS with runners in scoring position.

With 15 hits on Friday, 11 on Sunday and five home runs over the series, the offense did start to show some signs of life over the weekend. The Mariners saw their team batting average rise from .196 to .213 (27th in the majors to 23rd) and OPS jump from .550 to .674 (29th to 19th).

So the good news is the opportunities have been there, but the reality is the M’s aren’t capitalizing them.

The highs and lows of aggressive baserunning

The Mariners want to be a team that wreaks havoc on the basepaths. Considering there’s five or six players on the roster who have the potential to steal 20-plus bases in a season – including a few who could push for 30 or more – it make sense as a way for this club to supplement its offense. But aggressiveness on the bases has risks that come along with the rewards, and the Mariners saw both ends of spectrum against the Giants.

On Friday, Seattle stole three bases in the sixth inning. Robles and Julio Rodríguez executed a double steal that led to the infield being drawn in and an error by San Francisco on what would have been a routine play in double-play depth. Cal Raleigh also swiped a bag after and later scored from third on an infield single. So the Mariners scored three runs in an inning that very easily could ended with zero.

On Saturday, however, baserunning cost the M’s a couple of opportunities. Both Dylan Moore and Ryan Bliss were picked off trying to take off early on Giants starter (and former Mariner) Robbie Ray. Moore’s out ended an inning, and Bliss’ likely cost the M’s a run as it was proceeded by a walk and single.

Seattle is tied for sixth in league with 12 stolen bases, but it has also been caught stealing an MLB-high four times.

Polanco’s health will be something monitor

Third baseman Jorge Polanco has been the Mariners’ hottest hitter early on, batting .450 (9 for 20) with two home runs and a team-high eight RBIs. He just hasn’t been in the lineup all that often.

After homering in the series opener Friday, Polanco sat out Saturday while dealing with soreness in the left knee he had surgery on during the offseason. The switch-hitter was out of the lineup again on Sunday before the injury to Robles forced the M’s to use Polanco at first base with two outs in ninth inning. He’s played in just six (but essentially five) of 10 games so far, although two absences were due to being on the paternity list.

“I think we knew going in we were going to have be a little cautious,” manager Dan Wilson told reporters before the series finale. “So we’re just going to give him a little bit more rest today and then see where we are tomorrow.”

Polanco has a history of dealing with health issues, particularly with his legs. His 118 games played last season were his most since 2021, and he’s played in at least 120 games just three times since his first full big league season in 2017.

If Polanco continues to hit well, the Mariners need to find a way to get him in the lineup. Wilson didn’t rule out more days at designated hitter in the future.

“We’re looking at everything,” Wilson said, “… and (we’ll) just kind of assess as we go whether the defense adds more stress or not. It’s hard to tell.”

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