SEATTLE -- Talk about completely flipping the script.
The Mariners were overpowered and overwhelmed for much of Monday night’s series opener against a Braves team that arrived at T-Mobile Park with the best record in MLB.
But then Seattle conjured up a seismic sixth inning.
Seattle gave Atlanta a taste of its own medicine with two massive homers from Luke Raley and J.P. Crawford that erased a 4-0 deficit and turned it into a 5-4 lead that they would hold through the finish line.
The homers were the headlining moments, but just as vital were the walks that preceded them. When Raley stepped to the plate, he did so after free passes to Randy Arozarena and Dominic Canzone to lead off the frame. Then, later in the inning after Braves starter JR Ritchie -- a native of nearby Bainbridge Island -- was relieved by right-hander Tyler Kinley, Mitch Garver drew ball four with two outs as a layup to Crawford.
This was precisely the type of production that the Mariners have lacked more than they’ve delivered on in 2026. That includes separate sequences on Monday, when they stranded the bases loaded in the fifth and seventh. Seattle’s .672 OPS with runners in scoring position entering play on Monday was fourth-lowest in MLB.
Cashing in on more of these opportunities would go a long way for the club, which is now 17-19, in its fight to climb back over .500, a standing it hasn’t reached since it was 3-2 on March 30. Doing so can also overcome pitching hiccups that are becoming more occasional.
Logan Gilbert didn’t necessarily turn in a clunker, but he was hit hard and often on Monday night, ambushed by Atlanta for four homers. And they weren’t cheapies, either, as the Braves’ big boppers Drake Baldwin (426 feet), Ozzie Albies (414 feet), Matt Olson (428 feet) and Austin Riley (427 feet) each went deep to create what looked like would be a comfortable lead.
Then, the script was flipped.
Raley had been in a 1-for-24 skid over his past 12 games, after emerging as the team’s home run leader through the season’s first three weeks. He worked into a 1-1 count vs. Ritchie -- who grew up a Mariners fan -- then did not miss on a hanging curveball. Crawford then grinded into a full count vs. Kinley and yanked a low-and-in slider for a sky-high shot that hung for 6.0 seconds and reinvigorated the home crowd.
Seattle’s bullpen -- sans Matt Brash and Gabe Speier, who are each on the injured list -- locked things down with three scoreless innings the rest of the way, including a bounceback from Andrés Muñoz, who blew his second save of the year his last time out.