August was ugly for the Mariners, and the numbers don’t even try to hide it.
The month ended with a run differential of minus-74, which is the kind of crater that sends you digging through franchise history. The last time Seattle was this far underwater in a month was August 1977. The club’s August chart reads like a full-scale collapse in every phase: the offense posted a 94 wRC+ and ranked 18th, the rotation came in at 124 ERA- and 126 FIP-, and the bullpen somehow managed to be even rougher, finishing at 202 ERA- and 138 FIP-, dead last in both categories.
The defense and baserunning didn’t offer much relief, either. Seattle finished with minus-13 OAA and a minus-1.8 BsR, good for 29th in the league.
On the mound, the rotation did at least get the ball over the plate early, with a 65.7% first-pitch strike rate that ranked fourth. But that was about as comforting as the rest of the staff’s stat line was alarming.
The relief corps had one bright spot, and even that came with a small cast. Only one reliever posted a positive fWAR: Carlos Vargas, at 0.2. The bullpen’s actual relievers turned in a 6.49 ERA, while position players were pressed into pitching duty and somehow finished with a 40.50 ERA.
Andrés Muñoz remained one of the most dominant strikeout arms around, even while the long ball found him far more often than usual. His 37.0% K-BB% ranked third among 170 pitchers, but his 2.38 HR/9 sat 163rd of 170. That’s the kind of split that tells the whole story: stuff that still misses bats, damage that still finds a way through.
At the plate, the offense had a few individual bright spots amid the noise. Cal Raleigh led the Mariners in fWAR with 1.1, which the note makes clear with a little disbelief of its own. The team also hit nine “Beef Boy Bombs,” Josh Naylor went 4 for 6 on stolen bases, Julio Rodríguez put together a 4-3 HR-SB line, and Randy Arozarena was hit by pitches three times in the Ty France Memorial HBP Counter.
There were also some rough individual lines sprinkled throughout the month. Julio struck out 37 times, which ranked sixth, Taylor Ward posted a 20 wRC+, and Rob Refsnyder’s April-to-July wRC+ sat at 33. Brendan Donovan appeared in 14 games.
A few developmental and pitching notes stood out as well. Kade Anderson walked five hitters across two MLB starts, compared with 13 walks over 18 MiLB starts.
Logan Gilbert’s four-seam fastball averaged 97.1 mph, and only two months in his career have featured a faster average heater. Lazaro Montes continued to pop in the minors, with 10 home runs, a .365 ISO, a 13.3% walk rate, and a 154 wRC+.
The standings picture remains bleak. Seattle sits in third place in the AL West, six games back, and five spots out of a wild-card position at 5.5 games back. The current record is 64-74 with a minus-73 run differential.
The contrast with recent Mariners seasons is hard to miss. On this date in 2025, the club was 73-64 with a plus-25 run differential.
In 2024, it was 69-67 and plus-25. In 2023, 76-57 and plus-108.
In 2022, 74-58 and plus-47.
Two more season-long notes round out the picture: Randy Arozarena owns a plus-1.38 WPA across 50 seasons of Mariners baseball, while Cole Young sits at minus-1.30 WPA.
In Other News...
Mariners Latest Outfield Move Creates Another Roster Decision To Watch
The Mariners made another outfield shuffle Wednesday by selecting Stuart Fairchilds contract and bringing him onto the active roster while Vctor Robles was moved to the family medical emergency list. To clear room on the 40-man roster, Seattle recalled Brennen Davis and immediately placed him on the 60-day injured list, a move that ends his season and further thins the clubs depth chart as it sorts through the final stretch.
Fairchild is already a familiar face around the organization, having spent a brief spell on the big-league roster earlier this year before re-signing on a minor league deal. His return gives Seattle a fresh option in the outfield for the moment, but it also keeps the spotlight on a roster that has been in motion and on the decisions the Mariners may still need to make if this latest arrangement is only temporary. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Just Created A Connor Joe Question Fans Can't Ignore
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Joe now has a decision to make, since he has the right to elect free agency, though it is not yet clear whether he will take that route. Kingham has to accept the Tacoma assignment because of his service time, and both moves trace back to the earlier roster additions of Lzaro Montes and Hoby Milner, which forced Seattle to squeeze the roster and put both players in limbo. [Read more 🡒]
Randy Arozarena Just Gave Mariners A Dangerous Reminder
Randy Arozarena gave the Mariners exactly the sort of jolt they were looking for in their 8-3 win over the Red Sox, helping steady the game with sharp defense and an RBI single. It was the latest reminder that Seattle did not just add a lively bat when it brought him in, but a player who can change a game in multiple ways when he is locked in.
Across the series, Arozarena kept showing up in the biggest spots, homering in the first two games and piling up a strong final line with six hits, two home runs, eight RBIs and four runs scored. For a Mariners lineup that can use more consistent punch, this kind of stretch is exactly why he can be such a dangerous presence as the season goes on. [Read more 🡒]