Having had a while to process last night’s 6-5 loss against the Guardians, I have determined that as far as losses go, I’m pretty okay with this one. Yes, there were incredibly frustrating things: the bullpen coughing up a key run after some questionable decisions, the utter lack of hitting with runners in scoring position, the double-digit strikeouts. But there were enough positives to take away to leave me about as encouraged as one can be about a loss.
One: Bryan Woo looked unhittable for five innings
Woo’s postgame interview was agonizing as he shouldered the blame for the loss after giving up [checks notes] two runs over six innings. Yes, the command faltered in the sixth, but Woo’s performance up to that point was dominant. The Guardians came in with a plan to be aggressive against him and Woo pounded the zone anyway, forcing the Guardians into quick, weak-contact outs. He also racked up nine strikeouts, 15 whiffs, and hit a career milestone of four hundred strikeouts en route to re-establishing himself as the ace of the rotation.
Two: Randy keeps getting on base
Randy Arozarena’s ice-cold challenge in the second inning that resulted in a walk was one of my favorite moments from yesterday’s game. Randy will get his hacks in, make no mistake about it, but he is running an extremely hilarious (to me) 7.7% strikeout rate vs. a 31% BB rate over these first three games.
Three: Cole Wilcox makes a strong Mariners debut
Wilcox, who’s up in place of the injured Carlos Vargas, showed why he was a spring training standout with an efficient 1-2-3 inning. The issue for Wilcox is throwing strikes, and he did that last night against the bottom of the Guardians’ order, including a fairly devastating three-pitch sequence to CJ Kayfus that ended with Kayfus chasing after 96 on the top rail. You can read more about Wilcox here.
Four: Cole Young continues to be on time for the fastball
Young didn’t have a great day at the plate but he came up huge in the ninth, shooting a 97.5 mph fastball oppo down the left-field line for a leadoff double and eventually scoring the tying run. Young continues to handily beat his preseason projections into the ground and while pitches will eventually stop throwing him fastballs on the plate, Young also did a good job in this at-bat of laying off a couple of tough splitters.
Five: Julioooooooooo
This was the feel-good moment of the night for me. It’s been a scuffle for Julio over these first three games but this game-tying single where he just used his strength to muscle the ball into right-center was cathartic. It’s encouraging to see Julio not getting too big with his swing and doing what the moment calls for, tying it up and passing the baton.
“What we saw from Julio throughout the spring was using the whole field, and that was a perfect example there,” said Dan Wilson. “Not trying to do too much, especially with two strikes, just trying to get something in play there, and he did get a pitch he could handle and found a hole over there on the right side and gave us the tie at the time. Outstanding at-bat for him.”
Six: That Chase DeLauter homer was an anomaly
96.6 up and away? On a cold March night in Seattle? xBA of .490, 99 mph off the bat and 365 feet? Home run at 20 of 30 parks? Get all the way out of here.
Seven: Healthy Luke Raley is a menace to opposing teams
[Crocodile Dundee voice] That’s not a home run, that’s a home run. Raley had one home run over 400 feet last year after hitting 11 in 2024, including a career-long 459-footer, and 12 in 2023 with Tampa Bay. He’s already notched one such blast three games into the 2026 season with this 411-footer, scorched off the bat at 108.9 mph.
Eight: Return of the comeback kids
Maybe the most encouraging thing from last night’s loss: the comeback the team mounted in the last few innings, even if it fell short. Cole Young said that J.P. Crawford took him aside between innings to encourage him and help coach him up with a scouting report on the pitcher, right before his leadoff double. Young also said Josh Naylor was feeding positive energy to the dugout, telling everyone the Mariners were going to come back and win that game. It didn’t happen last night, but the pieces are in place.
“That’s what this team does,” said Wilson. “We have seen that time and time again, and to feel that energy in here, to feel that fight in here again, that’s a really good sign as we get started.”
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