Mariners snap skid with win over Rays, enter All-Star break on high note

Ryan Divish, The Seattle Times on Jul 12, 2026

Published in Baseball

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Seattle Mariners’ first hit with a runner in scoring position since Tuesday didn’t provide immediate relief, joyous satisfaction or even a run.

Following Josh Naylor’s leadoff single to start the second and a walk from Mitch Garver, Cole Young, who has been the Mariners’ most productive hitter of late, punched a crisp single to right field off Tampa Bay Rays starter Ian Seymour.

But given its trajectory and, well, the unfast running of Naylor, it didn’t produce a run, only loading the bases.

Of course, the hit that snapped an 0 for 27 streak with runners in scoring position couldn’t produce a run on the scoreboard.

When Victor Robles followed with a sinking line drive to center field that was caught on a diving grab by Cedric Mullins, it allowed Naylor to tag up and score. But it also felt like a meaningful run-scoring base hit might never come for the Mariners.

That is until later in the inning when J.P. Crawford notched their second hit with runners in scoring position of the game. With the bases loaded, Crawford dumped a looping fly ball into short left field that scored a pair of runs.

In the dugout players cheered and celebrated a little more dramatically than usual, and Crawford looked to the sky with his hand raised as he stood on second. It was a catharsis for a frustrated team that had failed far too often situationally and struggled to score multiple runs in an inning for the entire road trip and long stretches this season.

What felt like a breakthrough led to more runs and an 8-2 victory Sunday afternoon at Tropicana Field.

The Mariners snapped a five-game losing streak on this six-game Florida road trip and end the first “half” of the season with a victory. They go into the All-Star break with a 48-49 record. They will return to action on Friday night at T-Mobile Park when they open a three-game series vs. the San Francisco Giants.

But the game wasn’t just about offense.

It was a total team effort with what amounted to a bullpen day for the pitching staff after Emerson Hancock was forced to leave the game in the second inning with a right-hand contusion.

On Hancock’s first pitch of the game, Yandy Diaz hit a hard one-hopper back to the left side of the mound. Hancock instinctively stuck out his bare right-hand trying to catch it. The ball hit off his palm and landed behind him. While he was able to scramble to the ball and fire to first to get Diaz, there were would be consequences.

While Hancock would remain in the game and retire the next two batters to finish the first, he was unable to finish the second inning. He was removed with two outs after walking Victor Mesa Jr.

Jose A. Ferrer entered the game as a replacement and needed one pitch to end the second. He would work another scoreless inning.

Nick Davila followed with two scoreless frames, while Gabe Speier and Michael Rucker both followed with scoreless innings of work.

The Rays only runs came on Jonathan Aranda’s two-run homer off Eduard Bazardo in the eighth. Andrés Muñoz worked a scoreless ninth to close it out.

As the bullpen was picking up the innings, the Mariners offense continued to add runs via the long ball. Weston Wilson smacked a solo homer to start the fourth inning to end Seymour’s outing. Later in the inning, Randy Arozarena launched a three-run opposite field homer that made it 7-0.

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