The Phillies are riding a nine-game winning streak. That kind of heat is rare and hard to maintain. Now they head west for the first stop of a three-city road trip. Travel across the country can disrupt a hot team, but the schedule has them opening in Seattle on Monday night.
The Mariners are waiting at home with a 62-69 record. They sit third in the American League West, still on the fringe of contention in a weak division. After reaching Game 7 of the 2025 ALCS, this season has been a clear step back.
The Cal Raleigh Regression
Everyone expected more from Cal Raleigh. He hit a league-leading 60 home runs last year and won a Gold Glove in 2024. Many believed he should have taken home AL MVP honors after that kind of production behind the plate. Even if the 60-homer season proved hard to repeat, he had already shown real power with 34 home runs the year before.
This season has been a sharp drop. Raleigh entered the series hitting just .159 with 14 home runs. The “Big Dumper” nickname no longer carries the same weight. A player who looked like the best catcher in baseball a year ago is now searching for answers at the plate.
Can the Magic Last?
The Phillies open the series on Aug. 24. Their recent surge began with the Field of Dreams game against the Twins on Aug. 13 and continued through a dramatic sweep of the Cardinals. The challenge now is surviving the travel, the time-zone change, and a Mariners team that still has enough talent to spoil a hot streak.
Seattle is still alive in the race, but barely. In grunge terms: they’re still breathing, but do they deserve to be? The Phillies have the momentum and the fire. The Mariners have a star catcher who cannot hit. If Philadelphia stays focused, they could take two out of three. The road is long, but the Phillies are ready to fight.
