The Seattle Mariners entered Thursday night’s matchup against the Washington Nationals clinging to a half-game lead over the Houston Astros in the AL West. The Mariners’ offense looks improved this season, thanks in large part to a sensational start from catcher Cal Raleigh. But Seattle got a scare against the Nationals involving All-Star center fielder Julio Rodriguez.

Facing Cole Henry in the bottom of the eighth inning in a 2-2 game, Rodriguez was hit by a 95.1 mph sinker that struck his right hand, via MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer on X. After getting plunked, Rodriguez was attended to by Seattle’s training staff but ultimately stayed in the tied game.

The Mariners can’t afford to lose Julio Rodriguez

May 12, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez (44) hits a home run against the New York Yankees during the first inning at T-Mobile Park.
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Seeking a measure of revenge, Rodriguez stole second, getting into scoring position as the go-ahead run. However, the Mariners were unable to bring him around. The game remained tied until the top of the 10th inning when the Nationals unloaded on Seattle, putting up seven runs. Washington would go on to win 9-3.

The Mariners have now lost four of their last five games to fall to 30-25 on the season. But they held onto their half-game lead in the division after the Astros were annihilated by the Tampa Bay Rays 13-3 on Thursday.

After establishing a rare power/speed combo that resulted in a 30/30 season in 2023, Rodriguez is looking to get back on track following a down year in 2024. This season he’s slashing .235/.310/.416 with 10 home runs, 32 RBI, 36 runs scored, seven stolen bases and an OPS+ of 117 in 53 games. Rodriguez has also displayed his defensive capabilities this year.

If the Mariners are going to return to the playoffs for just the second time in the last 23 seasons, they’re going to need their offense to hold up and their elite starting rotation to get healthy. Seattle has the talent to win the division. With a little bit of luck they can avoid a second half collapse this year and put some distance between themselves and Houston.