The Seattle Mariners host the Baltimore Orioles for Game 1 of a three-game set at T-Mobile Park. The Mariners are 37-36 on the season, which is enough for a 0.5 game lead over the Athletics for the division lead. The Orioles are 4th in the AL East with a 34-39 record and have a long way to go. They are coming off a series loss to the San Diego Padres, and the Mariners lost to the Washington Nationals in two of three games.
Brandon Young toes the slab for the Orioles, and Logan Gilbert starts for the M’s.
The big news of the night is that superstar catcher Cal Raleigh will return to the Mariners’ lineup on Tuesday for this opener. Fans have been waiting a long time for this, after he had a rough start to the 2026 campaign after an even more poor World Baseball Classic.
Jon Morosi spoke on the return of Raleigh and why it feels like a new beginning for the squad.
“Today you can consider your 'Re-Opening Day' because you've now got Cal Raleigh back behind the plate!”@jonmorosi speaks on the importance of Seattle's backstop returning to the lineup. pic.twitter.com/pDRHZQvAPh
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 16, 2026
“My message to the entire Seattle Mariners fandom is: ‘Today you can consider your Re-Opening Day because you’ve now got Cal Raleigh back behind the plate.’ Remarkably, despite all their inconsistencies and the absence of Cal Raleigh, this team is still in first place in the American League West.”
Raleigh is hitting .161 with seven home runs, 18 RBIs, and a .560 OPS. He’s hit only four doubles and drawn only 18 walks. Expect much better numbers from the slugger for the second-half of the season. Shortstop JP Crawford is also expected to return from his injury absence as well, per Morosi.
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