Cal Raleigh’s power surge officially has reached historic levels for the Seattle Mariners.
Following a record-setting, two-homer series opener, Raleigh could become the club’s single-season leader with another long ball when the visiting Mariners try for an 11th straight victory Wednesday against the Kansas City Royals.
Raleigh’s career season hit new heights on Tuesday as Seattle (83-68) recorded a 12-5 rout of Kansas City (75-76).
With his 55th homer in the third inning off right-hander Michael Wacha, Raleigh became the majors’ single-season leader for a switch hitter, breaking Mickey Mantle’s 1961 mark.
An inning later, Raleigh turned around to the right side of the plate and smashed the ball over the center-field wall to match Ken Griffey Jr.’s team record of 56.
Raleigh, however, seems only concerned about his team’s success.
Atop the American League West, Seattle has outscored its opponents 78-28 during a 10-game winning streak that’s tied for the third-longest in team history.
“Trying to focus on the games, playing good baseball and keep rolling,” Raleigh told ROOT Sports. “We’re just not satisfied; we’re going to keep going until the bell rings.”
Raleigh is hitless in two at-bats against left-hander Cole Ragans (2-3, 5.18 ERA), who is back from a left rotator strain that’s kept him off a major-league mound since June 5.
Although Ragans has yielded 13 runs in 13 innings of his last three big-league starts, and the Royals’ playoff hopes essentially have faded with seven losses in the last nine games, it’s still important for the organization to have him back in action.
“Cole’s missed a ton of time, we want him to be out there to get some innings and the confidence to be able to go back into the offseason as a normal starter,” Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said.
Ragans’ previous start against Seattle came at home on June 9, 2024, when he yielded only a lead-off homer to J.P. Crawford and two other hits while striking out nine in six innings. He has a 1.29 ERA in two career appearances (one start) versus the Mariners.
Seattle, meanwhile, has won four straight games made by scheduled starter Bryce Miller (4-5, 5.59 ERA).
Miller looks for a more efficient outing after he allowed four runs and six hits — including two solo homers — while striking out a career-high 11 batters without a walk in 5 2/3 innings against the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday.
The right-hander also hopes to improve his fortunes against the Royals, who have tagged him for 10 runs and 12 hits in nine innings of two starts. Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. and Adam Frazier are a combined 5-for-11 versus Miller.
He could get his first look at promising Royals and local product Carter Jensen, who hit his first two major-league homers Tuesday. Jensen has at least one hit in three straight contests after going 1-for-9 in his first six career games since debuting Sept. 2.
Seattle’s Dominic Canzone has eight hits with seven RBIs in the last two games after he went 5-for-5 with three homers Tuesday.
–Field Level Media
