Mariners’ Half-Measure Deadline Additions Floundering
The Seattle Mariners certainly didn’t have the sexiest trade deadline. No big fish like Mason Miller came to town. They didn’t make a serious run at Tarik Skubal. Most of the bats that moved at the deadline have not panned out for their new teams. They made two very mild additions while shedding payroll.
For the Mariners, their only offensive acquisition was Taylor Ward, from Baltimore. To be fair, on paper, this made all the sense in the world. He was only one season removed from a 36-homer campaign with the Angels in the AL West. He mashes lefties and plays a decent outfield. The Mariners are one of the worst teams against left-handed pitchers, ranking 29th in team OPS. Ward was supposed to shore that up.
Analysis: What Do ‘Tough’ Bud Clark, Mason Richman Injuries Mean for Seahawks?
While a loss in preseason play isn’t the end of the world, the Seattle Seahawks didn’t just lose on the scoreboard in a 19-16 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, as the injury bug took a significant toll on the roster over the span of three-plus days in Nashville.
Beginning the string of bad luck on Seattle’s first road trip of the new season, receiver Jake Bobo suffered a severe knee injury during a joint practice on Friday, landing awkwardly as he tried to gather a contested catch against a linebacker in coverage before being carted off the field. Just two days later, the misfortune continued for the defending Super Bowl champions, as lightning struck twice in the opening quarter at Nissan Stadium with rookie safety Bud Clark and second-year offensive lineman Mason Richman leaving the field with significant injuries of their own.
After Tennessee managed to steal the win late on Sunday night, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald painted a bleak picture for both Clark and Richman, providing more specifics on the former than the latter with the information at hand.
“We had two really tough injuries today,” Macdonald stated. “Bud has a broken ankle to my knowledge. Severity I'm not sure, but he's going to be out multiple months. We're going to try to figure out what's going on with Mason, but we also think that's a major injury, a long-term injury. Two guys that we love, that play our style of ball, that are our type of guys. Teammates love them. Great teammates, great guys, great football players. They have great futures. It's a really - it's a heartbreaker, honestly. We had three heartbreakers this week, which is tough.”
Point Guard Position Remains Question Mark for Gonzaga as Regular Season Approaches
Although the Gonzaga Bulldogs have several committed players capable of playing the position, the status of the Zags’ starting point guard for the 2026-27 season is far from settled.
One of the Zags’ biggest ‘5-in-5’ targets, UCLA transfer Donovan Dent, committed to LSU on Friday. He is one of the best true point guards in the country, but will head to New Orleans, not Spokane, for his fifth and final collegiate season. Also on Friday, the Tenth Circuit granted the NCAA’s stay request in Wisne v. NCAA, which includes the Colorado and Ohio lawsuits that were previously cleared, the latter involving Bulldog transfer Javon Bennett.
So Bennett, a 5-10 point guard from Dayton, who was expected to factor into GU’s point guard situation, is currently ineligible. And although Theo Lawson of the Spokesman-Review reported that 23-year-old Nathan De Sousa plans to arrive in Spokane this week, the French point guard is still awaiting approval for eligibility after committing to Gonzaga in June.
So where do the Zags go from here, still searching for a definitive answer at lead guard?
Miller Start Goes South, Mariners Lose 19-2 to Cubs
Bryce Miller’s previous start had become, for a given and quite load-bearing definition of “worst”, the worst loss in Mariners history, a 22-0 thrashing that began to be as humorous as it was maddening.
Going by that same run differential metric, Sunday was the fourth worst loss in team history, only behind their Milwaukee calamity, a 21-1 loss in Houston in 2019, and a 20-3 loss in Detroit back in 1993. It became the worst run differential ever in a Mariners home game, beating out three 16-1 losses.
The score was 19-2. Both teams left this series disappointed. Seattle, despite winning two out of three, had long since run out of games to punt, whereas the Cubs outscored their opponents 28-13 and lost the series.
“Today ended up similar to the other day, just kinda got out of hand, and those are tough ones,” said M’s skipper Dan Wilson. “Our team has shown the ability to flush them.”
While it is true that these awful losses haven’t set off any massive avalanches of failure, they haven’t been able to build any momentum from their successes, either. That’s why Sunday’s loss dropped them to 62-69, a record that would knock them out of commission in a normal year but one that barely keeps them afloat in the chase for the worst AL West since 1994, when the best team at the time of the strike was the 52-62 Texas Rangers.
Rapid Reaction: Seahawks Start Hot vs. Titans’ Starters, Fall 19-16 in Preseason Road Tilt
In the aftermath of a 17-7 loss to the Dallas Cowboys to begin exhibition season, Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald issued a challenge to both his players and coaches, sharing his unhappiness about the team’s “process” in all three phases.
While the final result didn’t go as planned, it appears everyone in the locker room received the message this week on the practice field and in the film room, as Drew Lock and the Seahawks bounced back nicely with 16 first quarter points for a fast start on the road against the Titans before losing their lead late in a 19-16 loss at Nissan Stadium.
Lock played a near-flawless game under center, completing 12 out of 14 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown pass to Elijah Arroyo, while running back Jacardia Wright paced the rushing attack with 81 yards on eight carries. Defensively, Connor O’Toole led a resurgent pass rush, tallying 1.5 sacks, three quarterback hits, and two tackles for loss to help keep the Titans out of the end zone until late in the fourth quarter.
Instant Takeaways: Storm Suffer Worst Loss in 8 Weeks vs. Wings
Paige Bueckers scored 18 of her 32 points in the first quarter to help the Dallas Wings build a massive early lead, and the Seattle Storm fell flat in a 92-70 loss on Sunday, Aug. 23, at College Park Center.
Seattle (7-31) was sluggish and mistake-prone in its first game in the last seven days. Dallas (22-16), on the other hand, looked like a team prepared to make a playoff run.
Flau’jae Johnson led the Storm with 23 points, six rebounds, two assists and three steals. Jade Melbourne added 15 points, four rebounds and two steals. Bueckers gave the Wings their early lead and helped them never look back after a 34-point first quarter.
Kade Anderson Debuts, Randy Arozarena Delivers as Mariners Walk Off Cubs Again
Looking to gain ground in a tight wild-card race, Seattle welcomed the Chicago Cubs back into T-Mobile Park after walking them off the night before. The Mariners elected to go the exciting route again, advancing from a walk-off single to a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth.
This was the Randy Arozarena game. Coming into the night, everyone thought the story would be about the phenom pitcher making his debut for the Mariners. Randy had other ideas, blasting a two-run home run 404 feet to dead center. If Seattle makes the playoffs this year, this game could mark the turning point of the season.
Seattle saw its top prospect, and one of the top prospects in all of baseball, make a promising debut. The bullpen was also able to keep the game close to set up a dramatic ninth inning.
Grand Ole Audition: Seahawks to Watch in Second Preseason Game at Titans
While starters won't play once again for the Seattle Seahawks in their second exhibition tuneup, Sunday's matchup against the Tennessee Titans still carries plenty of weight for several players sitting on the roster bubble.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Corbin Smith breaks down which players he will be watching most closely in Nashville, including a pair of backup running backs set to see a heavy workload, a handful of EDGE defenders who need to pick up their play after underwhelming preseason debuts, and the duo of Montorie Foster Jr. and Cody White being under the microscope after Jake Bobo's season-ending knee injury.
Freshman Edge Ramzak Fruean Makes More Impressions at Huskies Mock Game
While it’s important to avoid reading too much into the Washington Huskies’ “mock game” on Saturday, true freshman edge Ramzak Fruean once again looked like a future star.
By future, we mean when UW kicks off the season Sept. 6 against Washington State in the Apple Cup. As has been the case for much of fall camp, Fruean once again proved difficult to contain on Saturday. He broke through for, unofficially, 2½ touch sacks against UW’s offense in a scrimmage that served as a dress rehearsal for the season.
After the mock game, head coach Jedd Fisch confirmed Fruean will become Washington’s third true freshman starter, joining defensive lineman Derek Colman-Brusa and left tackle Kodi Greene.
Takeaways: Reign Survive for Draw in Kansas City
The Seattle Reign bounced back from a midweek loss with a 1-1 draw at defending NWSL Shield-winner Kansas City Current on Saturday afternoon, defending chance after chance to split the points.
The result, Seattle's first at Kansas City since 2021, moves the eighth-place Reign to 8-8-4, two points ahead of the Houston Dash with 10 games remaining. Getting the point was monumental, as Seattle was left preserving the 1-0 advantage it picked up off an early Kayla Sharples own-goal forced by dangerous service from Seattle defender Sofia Huerta.
By the end of KC's onslaught, however, the Reign didn't concede a goal in the run of play. Only when striker Mia Fishel's elbow crept up to make contact with a Current pass in the box in the 51st did Seattle concede a goal off a penalty from star midfielder Debinha.
From there, Seattle defended for its life as defensive fixtures Jordyn Bugg (five tackles), Phoebe McClernon (six tackles) and Madison Curry (eight tackles) seemed to only get stronger as the game went on. By the end, KC ended up dwarfing Seattle's 0.7 expected goals with 3.3, but had to split the points.
Reign head coach Laura Harvey knew what type of effort she was going to need from her young team without star midfielder Sam Meza (thigh) for a third straight game, and she got it.
"We know coming here is really difficult," Harvey said postgame. "There's been moments this season and last season where I think some of our inexperience has shown. And I think tonight we looked like an experienced team at times.
"And look. If you'd have said to me before the game started, 'Would you take a point on the road in Kansas?' Probably."
WATCH: Sounders Snap Eight-Game Losing Streak, Draw with Cincinnati Despite Rotated Team
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali breaks down the Seattle Sounders’ 1-1 draw at FC Cincinnati on Saturday night.
The result marked the end of a franchise-worst eight-game MLS losing streak as Kalani Kossa-Rienzi bagged the equalizer in the 83rd minute off service from Albert Rusnak. Seattle also managed to split the points with a heavily rotated squad that saw Stuart Hawkins and Ryan Sailor notch 90-minute games while winger Paul Rothrock wore the captain’s armband for the first time.
Sounders to Sign Kansas City Star Striker Dejan Joveljić in $6 Million Deal
The Seattle Sounders were sick of answering for their lack of midseason signings, and they put the criticism to rest on Saturday evening.
GM Craig Waibel and company reportedly agreed to sign Sporting Kansas City star striker Dejan Joveljić for $6 million, according to Fabrizio Romano and later confirmed by other sources. The 27-year-old Serbian was in his second season at KC after four successful years with the LA Galaxy, culminating in a 2024 MLS Cup win.
The move signals Seattle’s first summer signing since 2021, with the transfer window set to close on Sept. 2. In the midst of a record MLS eight-game losing streak, head coach Brian Schmetzer had repeatedly hinted at the Sounders having a move in the works.
That purported move apparently came to fruition on Saturday with the team on the road in Cincinnati, picking up a draw for its first points in eight fixtures. Seattle is 7-9-4 and in 11th place in the Western Conference — two points behind ninth-place Portland.
As for Joveljić, he’s scored 60 goals in five and a half MLS campaigns and brings instant offense to the second-least productive offense in the league. Seattle’s striker pairing of Danny Musovski and Osaze De Rosario has combined for just three MLS goals in 21 games while designated player Jordan Morris has missed large chunks of the season injured as his year-to-year production craters from all-time-leading-scorer territory.
Schmetzer has been openly challenging one of the strikers to make the starting job their own, to no avail on an offense that’s struggling overall.
To make way for the new DP, who's making a listed wage of $3 million according to Capology, Niko Moreno of Sounder at Heart reported the team extended DP Albert Rusnák by two-and-a-half years to move him out of a DP spot. If that report holds, Seattle’s three DP spots will be occupied by Joveljić, Morris (set to return in the next month) and injured winger Pedro de la Vega (out for the season, quad).
Rusnák’s deal, which carried a club option next season, has him carrying a cap hit of nearly $2.7 million this season, per Spotrac.com.
The deal also puts to use the funds Seattle has generated by its many outbound transfers of young players. Midfield Obed Vargas fetched $3 million from Atletico Madrid before the season while Georgi Minoungou (Colorado Rapids) and Danny Leyva (Nexaca) also pulled in $3 combined.
5 Burning Questions as Seahawks Face Titans in Second Preseason Game
Taking their training camp show on the road for detour to Nashville, the Seattle Seahawks held a spirited joint practice with the Tennessee Titans on Friday, likely meaning that no noteworthy starters will play for Mike Macdonald’s squad in Sunday’s second preseason game.
However, that doesn’t mean that the second dress rehearsal at Nissan Stadium isn’t still an important one. Even if Sam Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Leonard Williams, and other stars stay on the sidelines with a jersey and ball cap on, plenty of roster spots remain up for grabs in all three phases with Seattle’s matchup against Tennessee providing another valuable opportunity to impress the coaching staff with cutdown day now less than two weeks away.
Looking to turn in a far better performance than they did in a 17-7 loss to the Cowboys on their home turf last weekend, here are five key questions for the Seahawks heading into their latest preseason tuneup against the Titans:
1. Will Seattle's quarterback duo of Drew Lock and Jalen Milroe bounce back after underwhelming openers?
Putting up just seven points on the scoreboard to kick off exhibition season, there were far more hands in the cookie jar of offensive dysfunction for the Seahawks than just Lock and Milroe, who each completed north of 60% of their passes but failed to generate much yardage with their passing opportunities, combining to average a dismal 3.6 yards per attempt against the Cowboys. As subs started to rotate into the lineup, the offensive line progressively got worse as the game wore on with the third-team unit allowing consistent pressure on both quarterbacks, including Milroe getting sacked twice in the second half. Penalties also proved to be a major issue, including reserve tackle Logan Brown being flagged twice for crucial fourth down holding penalties.
Leo Rivas Walks Off Cubs, Gives M’s Homestand Jolt
It’s the kind of thing that engenders legitimate hope in a team so downtrodden, but it’s the kind of thing fringe Mariners role players have done for decades in ultimately sour-ending seasons.
Regardless of the view from 30,000 feet, it was a magical moment for those celebrating within a three-foot radius of Leo Rivas in the bottom of the 10th on Friday night.
The game had been a back-and-forth affair between the M’s and Cubs, two teams with high expectations going into 2026 but only one of whom had performed up to snuff. At times, Seattle looked like the team they had constructed on paper, with Brendan Donovan and Cal Raleigh both producing runs. At others, the Cubs ambushed mistake pitches from multiple Mariners pitchers, and it had gone to extras before Seattle triumphed 6-5.
Emerson Hancock recovered from early struggles to put together almost six innings.
During the first half of the season, Mariners starting pitching had the sixth best ERA, fifth best StatCast expected ERA (xERA [1]), best fielding independent pitching (FIP [2]) and third best expected FIP (xFIP [3]) of any rotation in baseball.
In the second half, however, Seattle’s starters have had the seventh worst ERA, fourth worst FIP, and ninth worst xFIP. Their xERA ranking of 10th best since the break is small consolation with their struggles spanning all the non-StatCast metrics. They went from a league-best 11.0 starting pitcher FanGraphs WAR (fWAR) pre-break to a second-to-last 0.5 fWAR post-break.
Bigger Roles, Bigger Stat Lines: 2 Kraken Set to Break Out This Season
The NHL preseason is still a month away. Seattle Kraken news is slow as we enter the dog days of summer and the NHL offseason, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel with hockey not being that far away from returning, as camp opens in September.
Let’s take a look at the Kraken roster as it stands today and discuss two breakout candidates. When naming a “breakout” candidate, this does not necessarily mean they are going to compete for the Hart Trophy. It means that they could be poised to take another step in their development and even put together career years.
Ryker Evans, D
Evans is a 24-year-old left-shot defenseman, selected 35th overall by the Kraken in the 2021 NHL Draft. It has been a slow burn for Evans since then, rising through the ranks of the WHL and AHL, earning his stripes in Regina and then Coachella Valley. Over the last two seasons, he finally set himself into the main rotation of blue liners in Seattle, playing in 73 games in 2024-25 and 67 last season for the Kraken.
Mariners’ Anderson Callup Covers Woo, Lockout Uncertainties
There’s a southpaw down in Double-A with a 1.06 ERA, 1.78 FIP, 0.643 WHIP, 40.5% strikeout rate, and 3.9% walk rate.
His name is Kade Anderson, and he’s either the no. 1 or no. 2 prospect in the Mariners system, depending on who you ask. Even adjusted for Arkansas’ very pitcher-friendly stadium, he has a 413 ERA+ and 246 FIP+, both where 100 is league average and higher is better.
Anderson has perhaps been big-league ready for months at this point, but the Mariners brass has so far kept him pitching for the Double-A Arkansas Travelers. But on Thursday, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the prospect would be headed up to the majors to pitch on Saturday instead of Bryan Woo.
Despite - or perhaps because of - the Mariners’ dire position in the standings, the team evidently decided to bring him onto the major league club. The decision may have negative consequences down the road should the impending lockout extend into 2027 (especially if it nixes the whole season), but the move does fit with the way the M’s have operated in 2026: that is, wait a long time to make a decision but ultimately try to nudge things towards winning, even if that nudging can be more than a little halfhearted and much less than enough to turn it around.
Analysis: Where Mariners’ Farm System Ranks and What Comes Next
As the Mariners attempt to claw their way back into playoff contention, it can be easy to focus on the letdowns of the major league club. The organization has plenty of other reasons to be optimistic, with a talent-rich farm system that would be the envy of most teams.
When Seattle traded Luis Castillo to the Chicago White Sox, it was initially billed as a salary dump and a way to reduce the logjam of starters in the rotation. The Mariners acquired Seranthony Domínguez, who slots in as a middle-relief option. Seattle also received prospect Boston Smith, who has been mashing with six home runs in his first 11 games. The catcher adds to an already impressive minor league system.
Seahawks Lose Jake Bobo to ‘Serious’ Knee Injury During Joint Practice With Titans
From team bonding to the opportunity to receive valuable, yet controlled reps against starters from another team, joint practices offer plenty of benefits for NFL teams. But as the Seattle Seahawks learned the hard way on Friday, they can also come with unexpected costs on the injury front.
Per Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune, Seahawks veteran receiver Jake Bobo landed awkwardly while trying to make a contested catch while covered by one of Tennessee’s linebackers, suffering a “bad looking” leg injury. The team ended up carting him off the field, always an ominous sign, and coach Mike Macdonald indicated the the injury looked to be a significant one for the fourth-year wideout after practice concluded.
“Our heart goes out to Jake Bobo,” Macdonald said, confirming that players from both teams took a knee to say a prayer for Bobo after the injury happened. “It seems like it’s going to be a serious knee [injury]. We’re going to get it imaged, but early returns, it looks like a long-term injury, so that’s unfortunate.”
In addition, as reported by Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, starting right tackle Abraham Lucas walked off the field with trainers, though it appears that was for cramping and not due to an actual injury.
Gonzaga Women's Soccer Can't Punch Back in Contentious Match, Falls 2-1 to Arizona
After Oregon handed them their first loss in a 3-0 result Sunday, Gonzaga women’s soccer (1-2) couldn’t rebound upon returning home to Luger Field.
Although they struck first against Arizona (2-1) on Thursday evening, the Zags made several lapses they couldn’t recover from, even with ample opportunity.
The first half transpired fairly briskly, as the flow between the two sides was initially smooth. But after halftime, there were more interruptions, leading to increased physicality and tension. And unfortunately for GU, it didn’t have much to show for it during the final 45 minutes, resulting in a frustrating loss for the Bulldogs.
Has Separation Season Arrived for Montorie Foster Jr. Entering Seahawks’ Joint Practice vs. Titans?
Turning heads since the start of training camp and becoming one of the stars of HBO’s Hard Knocks, Montorie Foster Jr. has evolved from a feel-good story to a legit threat to earn a spot on the Seahawks 53-man roster.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Corbin Smith discusses how the former Michigan State standout has kept stacking quality days on the practice field and how he could create the last push of separation at a crowded receiver position needed to secure a spot on the 53 with a strong showing against the Titans in Nashville in the upcoming Friday joint practice and Sunday’s second preseason game.
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