Cal Raleigh Found His Swing and the Mariners Are Starting to Look Like Themselves

It was never going to be 60 again. Probably never going to be 50. But here's the thing: Cal Raleigh's bat is the most important piece of the Mariners lineup, and watching him rediscover his stroke over the last week? That's the biggest story from this road trip.

Sunday against the Cardinals, Seattle pulled off another one-run win, 3-2, to sweep St. Louis and improve to 14-15. Not the start a World Series contender wants 29 games in. Sitting just under .500 is not a disaster, but it stings. And most of those early losses? They came while Cal was hitting like a replacement player.

From .161 to Dangerous

Before April 20, Raleigh was batting .161 with a .290 slugging average and just two home runs in 23 games. The kind of numbers that would get most guys benched if they didn't have his resume. But since then? Four more dingers, including a solo shot in the fourth inning Sunday. His slugging average is now up to .398.

Is he back to last year? No. Six home runs puts him on pace for 33 for the season. But given what he's capable of, this burst of power over the past seven days tells you something familiar is waking up.

One Swing Changes Everything

Sure, Rob Refsnyder's pinch-hit solo homer in the ninth put the Mariners up 3-2 and set up the win. Connor Joe doubled and scored on a Cole Young single to tie it earlier. But Seattle might not have won Sunday without Raleigh stepping up. Same thing Thursday in the 5-4 win over Oakland, where his home run sparked the current four-game winning streak.

No single player carries a team in baseball. Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout never made the postseason together in Anaheim, proof of that. But one player can be the difference in a handful of wins that separate an average club from a division winner.

The Offense Is Coming Alive

The Mariners are now 17th in MLB in OPS, and they're doing it in T-Mobile Park, the most pitcher-friendly stadium in baseball. That's a sign the lineup is actually waking up. They're slugging again, literally, and the guy behind the plate is leading the charge.

This team was sluggish early. Now they're slugging. That matters.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.