Young Mariners stars are proving maturity, the team is preparing for a series with the Reds, and the region is being hit by heat and wildfire smoke.
Young Mariners talent: maturity beyond its years and key moments on the path to success
In baseball, it’s rare to see a 20-year-old rookie in his 47th career game make a game-changing defensive play that veterans on the team describe as “one of the best I’ve seen.” That’s exactly what Colt Emerson did in Saturday’s Seattle Mariners game against the San Francisco Giants. His dive in the 10th inning prevented the opponent from taking the lead and ultimately helped the team secure the win. Shortstop J.P. Crawford, who has been through the whole grind himself, said Emerson “plays on the field like a fish in water” and has great range and a strong arm. Crawford joked that all of it comes from daily work—otherwise Mariners’ defensive coach Perry Hill would simply “eat him.” Manager Dan Wilson also praised the young player for not letting a cold streak at the plate (Emerson’s first hit since July 9 came on Sunday) affect what he does on the other side of the ball. “That’s pretty mature for such a young guy—not letting it affect what he does on the other end,” Wilson said.
If Emerson is only just beginning to make his mark, his fellow rookie Cole Young has already become a model of consistency. He’s the only Mariners player to appear in all 100 games this current season. What’s more, his name is on the MLB list of Iron Man players alongside stars like Pete Alonso, Brian Reynolds, and Bryce Harper. Dan Wilson emphasized that Young’s offseason preparation was so thorough that he was ready for such a packed schedule from the start. “He’s been a model of consistency for us throughout the whole way,” the coach added. In their own ways, two young players are showing that the Mariners can count on the future—not only offensively, but defensively as well.
Sunday brought another notable milestone: Logan Gilbert faced his former teammate and mentor, Robbie Ray, on the mound for the first time. Ray, who played for the Mariners in 2022–2023, had a major impact on Gilbert’s early career. As Logan shared in an interview with The Seattle Times, he had been teasing his mentor before the game, asking him not to “ruin” Gilbert’s pitching mound, to which Ray promised to “definitely mess it up.” But behind the jokes is real gratitude: Gilbert admitted that Ray’s advice not to overdo it and to stay calm on the mound helped him avoid a number of painful lessons. “He still remembers those stories and those conversations. It’s cool that it affected him too, and it affected me—especially,” Gilbert said.
Meanwhile, the Mariners are preparing for their next series against the Cincinnati Reds, with George Kirby set to take the mound on Monday. He received 11 days of rest due to the All-Star break. Kirby doesn’t appear worried about the long pause, as he maintained his form and threw almost every day in Florida. In his last five starts, he’s consistently turned in quality outings (at least six innings and no more than three earned runs). “I feel great. I had a stretch of good games. I think I’m in good shape, and a lot of pitches are working the way they should,” the pitcher said. For the Mariners, the series will serve as a test of staying power after their first winning streak in a long time (over the Toronto Blue Jays in early July). If the young stars keep showing maturity and consistency, the team has every chance to remain in the playoff hunt.
Reds: Mariners series preview — an opportunity for Seattle to build momentum
The Seattle Mariners reached the 100-game mark with a 50–50 record, and now they face a pivotal stretch of 62 games to prove they belong. Last weekend offered glimpses of the kind of competitive play they’re expected to deliver: Cole Young launched two powerful home runs, Julio Rodríguez—returning from an injury—picked up a walk-off hit, and the pitching overall was solid. The task for the coming days is to string together a few wins to create momentum heading into the trade deadline. Against the Cincinnati Reds, the Mariners have plenty of opportunity to do just that. As noted in a series preview on Lookout Landing, the Reds are in the deepest slump of the season: since May, they’re 24–42—the worst record in the league. The team that shocked the baseball world by making the playoffs last year after the collapse of the Mets has never been able to build on that success and now looks more broken than promising.
Comparing the rosters using advanced metrics—such as wRC+ (a batting productivity measure where 100 is average)—shows a clear advantage for the Mariners: 100 versus 91 for the Reds. The pitching contrast is especially striking. Seattle’s starting rotation ranks second in the American League in FIP- (a metric that considers only what a pitcher can control: strikeouts, walks, and home runs; lower is better), and the bullpen is third. For the Reds, starters are only 10th in the National League, and the bullpen is 14th. Even the visitors’ defense is lackluster: in FRV (fielding run value), they rank 11th, while the hosts are 13th. All of this suggests the Mariners should dominate, but they still need to cash in on their potential.
In the Reds’ lineup, only a few names stand out. Elly De La Cruz is one of the most electrifying young players in baseball: he blends extreme speed with power, and this year he’s made a noticeable leap at the plate, posting a wRC+ of 130. Sal Stewart, who debuted last September, continues to trouble veteran pitchers, blasting 20 home runs, though contact isn’t quite as strong as it was last year. Beyond that, it gets a bit bleak: J.J. Bleday has had a decent “boomerang” season, Spencer Steer has settled into a reliable all-around role, but Eugenio Suárez is already aging (wRC+ 82), and T.J. Friedl and Ke’Bryan Hayes aren’t hitting well enough to offset their defense. A fun detail: two outfield prospects the Reds received in the Luis Castillo trade are finally both on the big-league roster. Noelvi Marte has had an uneven career (including a suspension for a doping violation), and Edwin Arroyo, who debuted last month, hasn’t yet clearly shown he can match MLB-level quality.
The biggest interest, though, is in the starting pitchers. In the opener against George Kirby, the Reds will send left-hander Andrew Abbott to the mound. Last year he looked like a breakthrough candidate (strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.47, ERA under three), but this season has unraveled: the ratio dropped to 1.75 due to a sharp increase in walks, and hard contact against him has jumped. His secondary pitches—changeup, curveball, and sweeper—no longer have hitters chasing them. In the second game, Chase Burns will take the mound, one of the brightest young stars in the league. Last week, the Reds signed him to a seven-year extension through 2034. Burns can easily reach a 100 mph fastball and he throws a nasty slider (his xwOBA against is just 0.195, which is extremely low expected on-base value). Right now he has enough with just two pitches in the Spencer Strider blueprint, but if he adds a third, he could become elite. The third Reds starter will be Brady Singer, having the worst season of his career: his FIP has spiked to a career-high 5.44, he’s lost a mile on his fastball, and his new pitch (a cutter) is just getting crushed. For the Mariners, that’s a great opportunity to pile on runs.
The wild-card race is tense right now: the Mariners are one game behind the Boston Red Sox, with a run differential of +13. The Texas Rangers are tied with Seattle in wins, but are a half-game ahead in the division. Every win matters right now, and a series against a weakened opponent is a perfect chance to start a winning streak. The main question is whether the Mariners’ offense can sustain the weekend’s success and give their pitchers enough support. If it does, Seattle won’t just close the gap—it will head into the deadline with the mindset of “fighting for the playoffs.” If not, there will be a long conversation about how to squander talent.
Heat advisory and wildfire smoke: Western Washington braces for hot weather
This week, residents of Western Washington are set for yet another stretch of abnormal heat: meteorologists have issued a Heat Advisory for much of the region, and that comes with worsening air quality due to smoke from Canadian wildfires. KOMO News reports that the hottest days will be Tuesday and Wednesday, when a strong ridge of high pressure rising from the southwest desert will bring record-setting temperatures.
In Seattle and Bellevue, temperatures are expected to rise to 32–33°C (low 90s°F), and in Olympia and the Chehalis Valley to 35°C (mid-90s°F). The heat advisory covers the I-5 and I-405 interstate corridors, Kitsap County, and the lower foothills of the Olympic Mountains. Daytime temperatures will be 10–15 degrees Fahrenheit above normal, and at night the air will cool only to about 18°C (mid-60s°F). That will create uncomfortable sleeping conditions, especially in homes without air conditioning, where temperatures may stay around 25–27°C (upper 70s to low 80s°F). Interestingly, along the coast—such as in Ocean Shores and Ilwaco—it will stay cooler: under cloud cover, temperatures will be around 18°C (60°F).
The situation is worsened by wildfire smoke from British Columbia. Northeasterly winds will carry the smoke toward Western Washington, especially into Skagit and Whatcom counties. There’s an Air Quality Alert in effect there through Wednesday: pollution levels could reach the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” category near Lynden and Sedro-Woolley. In Central and Eastern Washington, conditions are even worse—between the Republic and Moses Lake areas, several large fires continue to burn.
Relief is already on the way, though. By Thursday, an area of low pressure is expected to approach the region, bringing cooler marine air from the Pacific Ocean, a small chance of rain, and even isolated thunderstorms. Temperatures are expected to drop to 18–25°C (60–70°F) and air quality should improve significantly. Friday and the weekend—final weekends of July—should bring more seasonal temperatures of about 21–25°C (70°F) with variable cloudiness. Meteorologists warn that while rain can help, lightning from thunderstorms can spark new fires; last week, thousands of strikes already led to dozens of new blazes across the Pacific Northwest.
So residents of Western Washington should prepare for two days of extreme heat and smoky air, followed by a return to late-July cool weather. Be sure to take precautions: stay in the shade, drink water, check in on neighbors, and never leave children or pets in cars.
