“Playing Very Bad Baseball,” Cal Raleigh Drops Brutal Take Regarding Mariners’ Struggles This Season

The Seattle Mariners lost 4-1 against the New York Yankees on Tuesday and dropped a 5th successive game, leaving them with a 56-64 record.

“Playing Very Bad Baseball,” Cal Raleigh Drops Brutal Take Regarding Mariners’ Struggles This Season

Cal Raleigh (Image via MLB)

On Wednesday, the Seattle Mariners suffered a 5th straight defeat. The AL West side dropped to 8 games under .500 following a 4-1 loss against the New York Yankees. After the game, Cal Raleigh got brutally honest about the form of his team and expressed that they were “playing very bad baseball.“

The Mariners have been inconsistent from the start of the season. After suffering a heartbreaking loss in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) last year, they were hoping to do one better this year.

Raleigh, who led the offensive charge of the team last year with 60 home runs, has suffered a major slump. In 86 games, the catcher has just 12 home runs and 43 RBIs while hitting with a .159 average.

His slump has also affected the offense of the team. Before the series opener against the Yankees on Tuesday, the sliding Mariners got swept in a 3-game series at T-Mobile Park by the Tampa Bay Rays.

Things did not get any better for them on Tuesday. Their bats were cold once again and collected just 3 hits, with Randy Arozarena having the big one with a solo home run in the 6th inning. Raleigh, meanwhile, went hitless once again and struck out for the final out.

In the conversation with the reporters, the 2025 Home Run Derby champion did not mince his words. He shouldered the blame for the team’s slump and got honest about the form of his team.

It’s not good. We’re not playing well. That starts with me. I’m awful. I’ve got to find a way to be better and to help bring the guys along. We just gotta play better. We’re just playing very, very, very bad baseball in every facet of the game.

Cal Raleigh said as per Ryan Divish

In early June, the Mariners were sitting on top of the AL West division. They are now 4.5 games behind the Houston Astros (61-60) and sit third in the standings.

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MLB insider breaks down Mariners’ struggles in 2026

The 2026 season has so far not gone the way the Seattle Mariners would have envisioned. They dropped a 5th successive game on Tuesday as their batting let them down again. An MLB insider broke down what is going wrong for them this year.

Seattle Mariners manager Dan Wilson
Seattle Mariners manager Dan Wilson (Image via MLB)

Before their showdown against the Yankees on Tuesday, MLB insider Jeff Passan opened up about them. In his recent Sources Tell Jeff Passan Podcast, he noted that the Mariners were last in several offensive categories and were unable to get runs on the board when runners were in scoring position.

They’re not good on the base paths, but they’re particularly not good in clutch situations. The Mariners, with runners in scoring position this year, are batting .216. You want to talk about ugly.

Jeff Passan said

In 120 games this season, the Mariners have put up 463 runs. This is the lowest of any team in the MLB. Their 902 hits rank them 29th in the league.

When it comes to pitching, the M’s are ranked 8th in the league with a 3.79 ERA. They have, however, given up 485 runs and have a -22 run differential.

The one positive for them on Tuesday was that both the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers also lost. The Astros went down 4-1 against the San Francisco Giants while the Rangers were beaten 3-2 by the Los Angeles Angels.

After this road series against the Yankees, the Mariners will face the Astros in Houston. This upcoming 3-game series could play a huge part in their 2026 season.

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