'Locked in': Small ball propels red-hot Mariners to 9-run outburst 

SEATTLE -- The Mariners have been slugging as well as any team in MLB over the past three weeks, and while they did clear the fence again on Wednesday afternoon, it was their baserunning and small-ball tactics that ultimately propelled them to a commanding, 9-3 win over the Angels at T-Mobile Park.

The first-place Mariners (18-12) have now won 14 of their past 18 games, extending their MLB-best record since this stretch began on April 9. Seattle is now six games above .500, a mark that the club didn’t reach until June 1 last year.

Seattle exploited a series of defensive miscues en route to its fourth straight victory, which also secured the Mariners’ seventh straight series win -- their longest such stretch since June 21-July 17, 2022, when they won eight straight.

“They are really locked in,” Mariners starter Emerson Hancock said of his run support, after throwing his second straight quality start.

Randy Arozarena blasted a 400-foot homer in the second inning that put the Mariners on the board to extend his on-base streak to 25 games, but that solo shot was merely the start -- and hardly the day’s most consequential at-bat.

Tied at 3 in the seventh inning, the Mariners manufactured a six-spot to pull away for good, and it all sparked from the bottom of the order -- explicitly via Leo Rivas, who had two infield singles, one from each side while the Mariners batted around, that led to a pair of RBIs from the switch-hitting second baseman.

Seattle’s Nos. 7-9 hitters this year, collectively, have been among the sport’s most productive, with a .350 on-base percentage that trails only Cincinnati’s .363 mark.

“For bottom lineup guys -- that's me -- our job is to just get on base, man,” Rivas said. “Get on base as many times as you can, so [the top of the order] can do their job, too.”

Rivas legged out an up-the-middle knock that induced a high throw, Samad Taylor beat out a bunt single, each advanced to scoring position on a passed ball, then J.P. Crawford -- back in the leadoff spot for the first time since Sept. 4 -- drove them both home by punching an opposite-field knock through the left-side hole with the infield in.

But things accelerated from there, as Julio Rodríguez pummeled a 107.7 mph double off the center-field wall that scored Crawford from first base. Then, Rodríguez -- already attempting to steal third -- got up from his head-first slide and raced home on an RBI knock that chopped just past him from Cal Raleigh.

When Rivas came up again, he hit another infield single that plated two more runs after the chopper caromed off the glove of Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel. Rivas now has a .513 OBP since joining the team on April 9, initially as an injury replacement for Ryan Bliss. And he’s made the most out of what’s been a mostly platoon opportunity.

“Not even when I got to the big leagues, [but before], they always told me, 'Just be you. Don't try to be somebody else. Know who you are, wherever you are, whatever you play,’” Rivas said. “So I've been keeping that on my mind.”

The runaway inning was the headliner for an offense that’s been pointed about being aggressive on the basepaths in 2025, but there were other big moments earlier.

Raleigh, who was in the designated hitter spot, also manufactured a go-ahead run in the third when he reached on a throwing error by third baseman Luis Rengifo, advancing to second base on a wild pitch, third via a steal and home on a throwing error by catcher Logan O’Hoppe attempting to throw him out. The ball to third plunked him in the helmet, leaving him exposed as he crossed the plate.

“It's wanting to get 90 feet more, or 90 feet closer to home,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said.

Every batter in the Mariners’ starting lineup reached base on Wednesday other than rookie third baseman Ben Williamson, which was all the more impressive given how many players the club has on the injured list. And that's in addition to the fact that Seattle was facing the type of left-handed starting pitching with solid offspeed stuff that has stymied it in the past with veteran Tyler Anderson -- who was audibly frustrated with some of his lengthier at-bats.

The Mariners plated three runs vs. Anderson to keep the game tied at 3 before pouncing on the Angels’ leaky bullpen, which has MLB’s second-worst ERA (5.49).