CHICAGO (AP) — When it comes to life on the road, the Seattle Mariners are making themselves right at home.
Seattle is on top of the AL West, and its 14-9 road record is a big reason. It is 4-1 on a 10-game trip after it finished with four hits in a 1-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night.
A victory on Wednesday would secure Seattle’s seventh consecutive winning road series. It’s the first time the Mariners have won at least six straight road series since they had a streak of eight in a row from July 3 to Aug. 23 in 2023.
“We treat every single game the same, but obviously, when you’re on the road, you’re like the bad guys. Nobody likes you,” center fielder Julio Rodríguez said after Monday night’s 5-1 victory at Chicago. “I guess that adds a little bit more to us. We stick together pretty well as a team and I think that might play something into it.”
Pitching helps, too. Seattle has a 3.60 road ERA, ranking fifth in the majors. It allowed one run in each of the first five games on its current trip.
The Mariners also have a dominant closer in Andrés Muñoz, who hasn’t allowed an earned run in 20 2/3 innings this season. The bases were loaded when he entered Monday night’s victory, and he struck out Michael A. Taylor for his 15th save.
“Pitching is kind of what’s built our (organization), and kind of where our success has started,” catcher Cal Raleigh said. “It’s one of the most important things in the game. We do a good job of getting those guys rolling and try to piggyback off of them.”
The strong start on the road comes after Seattle struggled outside of T-Mobile Park in 2024. It finished with a 36-45 road record while going 85-77 last year, contributing to the team’s second-place finish in the AL West behind Houston.
Asked about the team’s road success this season, manager Dan Wilson praised Muñoz and the rest of the team’s bullpen. But he also highlighted the importance of timely offense.
“I think, offensively, being able to strike early on the road is important, and so far as we’ve started off this season, they’ve been able to do that,” Wilson said. “I think that’s put us in good positions to win late in the ballgame.”
Seattle brought up right-hander Casey Lawrence from Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday. Left-hander Jhonathan Díaz was sent down, and infielder Austin Shenton was designated for assignment.
The 37-year-old Lawrence pitched five innings of one-run ball in the loss to the White Sox. He is 1-2 with a 4.08 ERA in six big league appearances this year.
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