Cal Raleigh didn’t hide from it after the Mariners dropped their fifth straight game Tuesday night.
Seattle’s 4-1 loss to the Yankees pushed the club 4.5 games back in the AL West and left Raleigh staring straight at the ugly numbers next to his own name. The Mariners catcher said the skid starts with him.
“It's not good. We're not playing well.
That starts with me. I'm awful,” Raleigh told reporters after the game.
“I've got to find a way to be better, and to help bring the guys along. We've just got to play better.
We're just playing very, very, very bad baseball in every facet of the game.”
Raleigh’s season has cratered to a .159 batting average, with 12 home runs and 43 RBIs. August has been even rougher: he’s hitting .107 with a .194 on-base percentage so far this month. That’s a stark contrast from where he stood a year ago, when he was second in AL MVP voting and had already piled up a .271 average, 35 homers and 74 RBIs at this point in the season.
He said the challenge now is keeping the right edge even when the game keeps pushing back.
“It's tough when things aren't going your way, it's hard. You feel like everybody's against you, things aren't going your way, but you've got to have a good attitude.
You've got to bring that edge to play every single day, because nothing's given to you,” Raleigh said. “We've got to go take it.
Sometimes, when you're feeling bad for yourself, you get a little lackadaisical out there and maybe have a little less energy, or maybe you don't have quite the same edge that you should have every single day. That starts with me.
I need to do a better job of that each and every night, just being prepared and being ready to go every single night.”
The loss left Seattle at 56-64, a season-worst eight games under .500. The Mariners sit third in the AL West and are four games behind the Rangers for the American League’s final wild card spot. They’ll keep the series going Wednesday night against the Yankees.
In Other News...
Cal Raleigh Just Sparked A Bigger Mariners Blame Debate
Cal Raleigh didnt try to pass the buck after another rough stretch for the Mariners. Instead, the catcher owned his own performance, acknowledged the offense has fallen short and suggested the group needs to make some adjustments in how it is going about its business. In a season where the lineup has too often stalled, that kind of blunt self-assessment stands out because it comes with a clear message about where the accountability starts.
Raleigh also drew a line around the larger conversation, defending the front office and coaching staff while saying the players are the ones responsible for the teams current problems. For a Mariners club already dealing with bigger questions about roster construction and decision-making, his comments sharpen an old debate rather than settle it. The tension now is whether that internal message sparks a real change in approach, or simply adds another layer to the pressure surrounding a team that still has to prove it can turn frustration into results. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Pressure Is Rising Around Dan Wilson And His Staff
The Angels latest round of coaching changes offered a familiar reminder of how quickly a season can turn into a referendum on the people in the dugout. After poor results piled up, Los Angeles moved on from pitching coach Mike Maddux, bullpen coach Dom Chiti and assistant pitching coach Darryl Scott, and the explanation included concern that the staff was not making enough use of available technology. It was another example of an organization deciding the message had to change when the performance did not.
For the Mariners, that kind of shakeup is only going to sharpen the attention already circling Dan Wilson and his staff. Seattles struggles have put Wilson under scrutiny, and the hitting side has not escaped it, with Edgar Martinez and Kevin Seitzer part of the conversation as the club looks for answers. Other teams, including the Phillies and Red Sox, have already shown how quickly front offices will redraw the map when results lag, and that is the backdrop hanging over Seattle now. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Add Catching Insurance Behind Cal Raleigh
The Mariners added a little catching depth to the organization this week, claiming Willie MacIver off waivers from the Blue Jays and sending him to Triple-A Tacoma. It is a straightforward move on the surface, but one that fits the kind of roster housekeeping contending clubs often do when they want to keep the position insulated without forcing a bigger shuffle at the major league level.
MacIver gives Seattle another name to stash in the system behind Cal Raleigh and the rest of the current catching group, with the club having room on its 40-man roster to make the claim. The Blue Jays had just designated MacIver for assignment after picking him up from the Rangers, so the Mariners were able to jump in and add an experienced depth option while leaving the bigger question of how far he might climb in the organization for later. [Read more 🡒]