Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor looks on during a game against the Los Angeles Angels on July 27 at Angel Stadium. Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Takeaways From Seattle Mariners Series Split Against Los Angeles Angels

Originally posted on Seattle Mariners on SI
By Teren Kowatsch | Last updated Jul 28, 2025 10:30 AM ET

The Seattle Mariners began the weekend on a good note by acquiring first baseman Josh Naylor from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday.

Hours after the news, the Mariners secured the win in Game 1 of a four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels.

Seattle ended up splitting the series with Los Angeles. The M's' inability to walk out with the series win led to the Boston Red Sox jumping them for the second American League Wild Card spot. The Mariners are tied with the Texas Rangers for the final AL Wild Card spot and for second place in the AL West.

Here's the takeaways from Seattle's series split against the Angels:

Naylor a solid addition to the lineup, Mariners still need one more bat

Naylor reported to the Mariners on Friday, a day after he was traded, and instantly showed his value. He rotated between the cleanup and No. 5 spot in the lineup. He had a base hit in the final three games of the series and finished 3-for-11. He scored a run, drew a walk and stole a base.

Josh Naylor: Seattle Mariner

(via @Mariners) pic.twitter.com/cOiB6X1NUb
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) July 26, 2025

Despite Naylor's contributions, Seattle wasn't able to find much outside of home runs through most of the series.

Outside of one inning during the series, Seattle wasn't able to string together consistent offense. The M's will need at least one more impact bat for the lineup to to truly be at its best.

The Mariners were reported to still be pursuing third baseman Eugenio Suarez soon after the news of the Naylor trade broke.

Mariners starting rotation inconsistent again

The Mariners are in the middle of a stretch of 17 consecutive games without a day off. Because of that stretch and the current status of the AL playoff picture, there's an added emphasis on Seattle's starting pitchers to go deeper into games.

Seattle got that from Bryan Woo and George Kirby in Games 2 and 3, respectively, but was unable to get the full five innings from Logan Evans in Game 1 and Logan Gilbert went just five in Game 4.

George Kirby, 97mph ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/deGBapgtez
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 27, 2025

The injuries dealt to the starting rotation this season have led to the bullpen being heavily taxed. There's still time for the rotation to return to the form it had in 2024, but this could also be the norm for the rest of the year.

Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto confirmed the team will be chasing high-leverage relievers. If the starting rotation keeps at its current rate, those potential bullpen moves could hold a significant amount of weight.

Up next

Seattle will begin a three-game series against the Athletics at 7:05 p.m. PT on Monday. Luis Castillo will start for the Mariners and JP Sears will start for the Athletics.

This article first appeared on Seattle Mariners on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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