Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh leads the major leagues in home runs with 24, but he said his team needs more than the long ball if it’s going to solve its recent offensive woes.
The Mariners have lost 11 of their past 16 games and have given up their lead in the American League West as a result. They lost to the Los Angeles Angels 5-4 on Friday, and the teams will meet again Saturday night in Anaheim, Calif.
The Mariners have 52 runs in those 16 games, averaging 2.3 runs per game in their 11 losses. While home runs certainly help, Raleigh said small ball is the key to turning things around.
“We’re getting guys on, but you’ve got to take advantage of it, right?” Raleigh said. “I mean, it’s kind of the name of the game. We’ve just got to find a way to get those runs across like we were early in the year.
“Sometimes, it’s not always going to be from the swing. You’ve got to get a bunt down. You’ve got to steal bases, kind of like what we’re doing earlier — creating some traffic that way, so it’s not taking two, three singles to get the job done. … We’ve just got to get back to that.”
Right-hander Luis Castillo (4-3, 3.03 ERA) will make his 12th start of the season for Seattle, which beat the Minnesota Twins 2-1 Sunday in a game in which he threw six scoreless innings.
It’s one of four starts this year that Castillo did not allow a run. He is 5-1 with a 2.59 ERA in nine career starts against the Angels.
Right-hander Jack Kochanowicz (3-7, 5.34 ERA) will make his 13th start of the season for Los Angeles, coming off his shortest outing of 2025. Last Sunday against Cleveland, he allowed four runs on five hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings and was charged with the loss in a 4-2 game.
Kochanowicz is 0-2 with a 7.00 ERA in two career starts against the Mariners.
Angels right fielder Mike Trout is getting closer to returning to his position in the field, working out in the outfield before Friday’s game. He has been the designated hitter in all seven games he’s played since returning from the injured list May 30 after missing a month with a bone bruise in his left knee. He is hitting 10-for-25 (.400) since his return.
Once Trout returns to the field, it could cost utility player Chris Taylor some playing time. Since signing with the Angels on May 26 after his release from the Dodgers, Taylor has played all three outfield positions and second base. He had his best game at the plate for the Angels on Friday, getting a single and double and just missing a home run, if not for the leaping catch by Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez.
“First and foremost, I want to perform on the field,” Taylor said. “I want to help this team win ballgames. I feel like I have a lot to prove to myself. I haven’t performed to how I feel I’m capable of playing the last couple seasons, and I kind of want to turn that around.”
–Field Level Media
