Willie Adames hit a grand slam as the Giants beat the Mariners 7–0. In Seattle, near the University of Washington, a rabid bat has been found, and authorities are urging caution.
Willie Adames’ grand slam helps the Giants blank the Mariners 7–0
After the All-Star break, the San Francisco Giants returned to the field with a crushing win. The game in Seattle ended in a rout for the hosts — 7–0. The star of the night was the Giants’ shortstop Willie Adames, who in the seventh inning hit a grand slam — a home run with the bases loaded — driving in four runs at once. It was Adames’ seventh grand slam of his career and the second this season; he previously did it on May 31. As detailed in the report on Seattle Sports, the big swing came off a slider thrown by the Mariners reliever Nick Davila, and the ball carried into the right-center field area.
But even before that, the Giants controlled the game. Young pitcher Landen Rupp worked seven brilliant innings, allowing just two hits (one of them a fourth-inning single by Josh Naylor, which was the Mariners’ first hit of the game), issued no walks, and struck out seven. Rupp earned his seventh win of the season against eight losses. In his previous start as well, he impressed by going eight innings versus Toronto.
For the Mariners, the game was just another letdown. After the break, the team has now dropped six of seven games and sits two games below .500. Seattle starter Bryce Miller (4–4) — though he put up a solid effort — ultimately fell short, hampered by a two-run home run by Giants rookie Bryce Eldridge in the fifth inning. For Eldridge, it was his ninth home run of the season, and the ball went to center field. Victor Robles, filling in for the injured Julio Rodríguez, couldn’t quite reach it on his jump.
By the way, Rodríguez is expected to return to the lineup as early as Saturday.
In the sixth inning, the Giants added another run thanks to an error by second baseman Cole Young. With two outs and runners on base, he couldn’t make a clean catch on a deflected ball hit by Luis Arráez. And in the seventh, Adames’ grand slam finally put the question of the winner to rest.
Among other moves, before the game San Francisco activated catcher Daniel Susac from the 10-day injured list, and Erik Haasе was designated for assignment (meaning the player is temporarily removed from the roster and could be claimed by other teams). On Saturday, the series continues with a pitching matchup: Seattle will send out Bryan Woo (7–6, 4.23 ERA), while the Giants counter with Logan Webb (5–7, 3.86). For the Mariners, this game is part of a serious crisis. The team that was still battling for the division lead not long ago is now sliding downward, and ahead lies the trade deadline — what Seattle fans call a “puzzle.” Whether the return of Rodríguez and possible roster changes can shake the team remains to be seen.
Back from the break: Mariners get routed by Giants, 7–0
After a pleasant break, many of us believe we’ll head back to work full of energy, with a refreshed heart and renewed passion for what we do. But practice shows that returning to the office often turns into just another reminder of how much we don’t want to work. Something like that is what it looked like for the Seattle Mariners after their star-studded break: the team appeared sluggish and lifeless, losing to the San Francisco Giants 7–0. The home team couldn’t provide much of a fight.
The early moments offered hope. The Giants quickly burned through both of their ABS challenge attempts (an automated ball-and-strike system that teams can challenge twice per game) within the first four outs, which felt like more humiliation continuing their season. Mariners pitcher Bryce Miller started strong, ramping up to 97 mph and recording four strikeouts in a row. His “Nestor-not-here” (a nod to Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes and his deceptive move before the delivery) against Rafael Devers stood out in particular. For a while, it looked like Seattle had a chance.
But the visitors’ offense never really woke up. Cal Raleigh hit a ball hard that nearly went over the fence, but it landed just beyond the foul line. Luke Raley nearly made it to the wall in center field. And only in the fourth inning did the Mariners manage their first hit — Josh Naylor delivered it. By that point, Seattle had only two hits in the entire game.
The team was roused not by a batter’s swing, but by Miller’s mistake. He left a splitter too high in the strike zone for Bryce Eldridge, and Eldridge punished the Giants with a two-run home run. In response, the Mariners tried to play small ball, but it didn’t work. Raleigh singled, but the ensuing bunt single by Robles and his unsuccessful attempt to steal second base only resulted in outs. Miller couldn’t even reach a quality start — he was removed after getting hit by a pitch from Drew Gilber t with two outs in the sixth inning. As the pitcher explained afterward, his fastball started tailing too much (a pitch “cutting” away from the hitter), which led to a blister. The results: 5.2 innings, six strikeouts, three earned runs on seven hits. Miller admitted, “Honestly, it’s frustrating — I probably could’ve gone six scoreless innings and given the team a chance.”
The substitute, Jose Ferrer, immediately ran into trouble. He walked the bases, and then Andrew Kavan a and Luis Arráez again made things difficult for him. Arráez, known for his annoying ability to put the ball in play, almost broke through with a bounce off the glove. But it only delayed what was coming. In the seventh, Nick Davila loaded the bases, and Willie Adames drove the “final nail in the coffin” — a grand slam that buried the home team’s hopes.
The only bright spot was Cole Wilcox’s work in the late innings. He closed the inning confidently, hitting 98.2 mph and recording a couple of strikeouts. But the Mariners’ offense never showed signs of life all game long. As a blogger noted with irony in his report for Lookout Landing, the number of defensive errors matched the number of hits in the offensive line — two each. Apparently, the sluggishness after the break caught everyone.
This start to the second half is a warning sign for the Mariners. If the team can’t find a way to wake up its hitters, the race for a playoff spot may be in doubt. The only consolation was that pitching at least gave the offense opportunities — but they were squandered completely.
Rabid bat found in central Seattle near the University of Washington campus
Seattle and King County authorities are sounding alarms: on July 15, 2026, a bat was found on a busy pedestrian street, University Way Northeast, between NE 41st and NE 42nd streets, and subsequent testing confirmed it was rabid. The location is near Parrington Lane, the center of student life at the University of Washington, where there are always plenty of people. Now the health department is urging anyone who may have come into contact with the animal to take action: even if there was no bite, any physical contact with a bat or its saliva is considered potentially dangerous. Medical care and preventive treatment are needed immediately, before symptoms appear, because rabies is almost always fatal if therapy isn’t started in time.
As reported by Public Health Insider, the bat itself was spotted and prompted several calls from concerned residents on July 15. Animal services euthanized it on July 16, and the following day, July 17, lab tests returned a positive result for the rabies virus. Fortunately, so far no people or pets have been identified as having direct contact with this bat. But officials are urging people not to relax — the incubation period of the disease can range from several weeks to a year, and it’s important that anyone who accidentally touched the bat seek advice as soon as possible.
“Rabies is treatable if it’s found before symptoms start, so it’s extremely important to identify everyone who had contact with this bat as quickly as possible,” said Joselyn Mullins, a veterinarian with the Seattle & King County Public Health department. “Contact includes touching the bat, a bite, a scratch, or any other contact with unprotected skin on the animal or its saliva.” She also noted that the virus attacks the central nervous system and almost always results in death after clinical signs begin to appear.
Special attention in the statement is given to pets: dogs, cats, ferrets, and horses. If there’s any suspicion that a pet may have encountered a bat, contact a veterinarian immediately. Even if the animal is vaccinated against rabies, a booster may still be needed after a potential exposure, since protection isn’t absolute. Authorities advise keeping pets’ rabies vaccinations up to date — it’s the most reliable barrier to stopping the virus from spreading.
Interestingly, in cases where a bat is found inside a home or outdoors, specialists provide clear instructions: don’t touch the animal with bare hands, open windows so it can fly out, and isolate household pets. If a contact does happen (for example, someone wakes up and finds a bat in a bedroom), the animal should be carefully caught with a shovel or in thick gloves, placed in a box, and submitted for free testing — throwing away the body is strictly prohibited. Full details on how to catch a bat safely or avoid an encounter are available on the King County website at kingcounty.gov/bats.
This case is a reminder that even in big cities, wildlife remains close at hand — and rabies isn’t an abstract threat. Although human cases in the United States are rare (on average one to two per year), the primary source of infection is bats. A preventive course of vaccine and immunoglobulin, if started right after exposure, is almost certainly capable of preventing the disease. The key is not to delay and not to rely on “it’ll be fine.”
