Gilbert, Mariners Salvage Red Sox Matinee, Keep Heads Above Water
All wins are equal on the final sheet of standings at the end of the year, but not all these wins mean the same things when they are played. Some wins are triumphant jewels in the crowns of great streaks, others are dead cat bounces for a team plummeting into the gutter. The Mariners’ 3-1 win over the Red Sox on Sunday was neither of those, but it was the definitional salvaged game, turning what could have been a sweep to go under .500 on the summer solstice into a lost series and a 40-39 record with the halfway point nearly reached.
The offense, for the eighth straight game, didn’t impress, but the Mariners worked a win anyway thanks to an incredible start from a rebounding elite arm, a couple of timely hits, and a sharp bullpen. And yet the win may be pyrrhic, with another key player falling to the injury bug.
Logan Gilbert worked into the seventh and kept the Red Sox to a single run.
While the Mariners haven’t had everyone clicking at the same time, they have had the relative luxury of often getting a cold man hot once their hot man goes cold. While Emerson Hancock has seemingly taken a big step back over the past two outings, Logan Gilbert has finally settled into a real adjustment against the five-and-dive outings and long at-bats that had created them.
This adjustment has been quite simple and equally effective: instead of relying solely on his secondary pitches in favorable counts - a strategy that teams effectively countered by simply laying off the low sliders and buried splitters they would see time and time again - Gilbert has truly mixed things up with fastballs, curveballs, splitters, and sliders in these counts. This means, in the aggregate, that he is throwing the heater a lot more.
Trade! Kraken Deal 25th Overall Pick for Panthers’ Mackie Samoskevich
The 2026 NHL Draft begins this Friday, June 26 with the first round in Buffalo, New York. With the Seattle Kraken holding two first round picks and three top-40 picks overall, it was a safe assumption that they would be making and fielding trade offers to better their team before the festivities kick off.
The first salvo has been fired ahead of next weekend’s draft. According to reports on Sunday, the Seattle Kraken traded their 25th overall pick this year and a second rounder next season to the Florida Panthers for the services of winger Mackie Samoskevich.
Washington State Adds Three-Star Tackle to Growing 2027 Recruiting Class
The Washington State Cougars landed two more commitments as their 2027 recruiting class continues to grow under first-year coach Kirby Moore, pushing their total number of commitments to 17 by signing a pair of line prospects.
One of the newest additions is Randolph Santiago, a 6-6, 275-pound offensive tackle from Kailua. Currently rated as a three-star prospect, Santiago carries an 84 overall rating according to 247Sports. His recruitment included offers from programs such as UNLV, Boise State, Oregon State, New Mexico, and San Diego State, making him a stellar addition to the trenches for Moore’s squad.
Washington State also landed another defensive prospect from California with the commitment of Richard Orosco, a 6-4, 240-pound EDGE rusher from St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower. Orosco has received scholarship offers from New Mexico, UNLV, and San Diego State, among others, and looks to be an ascending recruit despite not having a star rating at this point.
Tory Horton’s Return Opens Door for Seahawks’ Offense to Reach Greater Heights in 2026
Fielding questions from wide-eyed youngsters at his first annual pro camp at Kennedy Catholic High School, it didn’t take long for Tory Horton to be asked why he missed the Seattle Seahawks final 11 games, including the entirety of their Super Bowl run.
“I just had a few things pop up,” Horton responded, assuring the campers in attendance that he would be back and ready to roll for a new season.
For those hoping for a bit more transparency, Horton didn’t have to delve into specifics, especially answering a question from a 10-year-old during a quick Q&A session before campers broke into fun two-hand tap scrimmage games. The Seahawks themselves haven’t offered much in that regard either since the injury occurred, as his status largely remained shrouded in mystery beyond the team’s initial explanation that he had suffered a shin injury during a Week 10 win over the Commanders on Monday Night Football.
At the time, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald hinted that the medical staff initially felt Horton would miss a few weeks of action, hopeful the standout rookie receiver would be able to return later in the schedule even if he spent the minimum four games sidelined on injured reserve. But by the time January rolled around, without anything new being disclosed beyond the shin needing “a long time to heal” and plenty of rest, per Macdonald, the team all but ruled out the possibility he would be activated for the playoffs, ending a once-promising first season after playing in just eight games.
Storm Hit 10th Straight Loss After Falling to Mercury
The Seattle Storm couldn’t maintain their hot shooting for two straight games and they lost their 10th in a row following a 93-73 loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday, June 20, at the Mortgage Matchup Center.
Seattle (3-14) remains in 14th place, and Phoenix (5-12) is still just two spots ahead. The Storm are in last place in the Western Conference in Commissioner’s Cup rankings at 0-7. The Connecticut Sun (Eastern Conference) are the only other team to be winless in the Cup.
Natisha Hiedeman led the Storm with 20 points and four assists. Flau’jae Johnson totaled 13 points, while Dominique Malonga and Zia Cooke each totaled 10 points.
Phoenix was led by an extremely balanced attack, which included six players scoring in double figures. Valeriane Ayayi had a team-high 18 points and 10 rebounds and Kahleah Copper added 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Huskies Secure Four-Star Safety Jaden Green-Walk to Bolster 2027 Class
Continuing to build one of the most impressive recruiting classes in college football for 2027, the Washington Huskies had plenty of reasons to woof after landing an elite playmaking safety to add to the mix.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Aaron Coe breaks down Washington's exciting commitment from Jaden Green-Walk, a multi-sport star from Centennial High School in California, and how the dynamic defender could be an early game changer for Jedd Fisch and company on Montlake.
Recapping Seasons of Five Former Gonzaga Bulldogs That Missed NBA Playoffs
To cap off the 2025 NBA season, just days before the offseason officially begins with the draft, free agency, and noteworthy trades, let’s look at five ex-Gonzaga Bulldogs who played on underperforming teams this past year.
From a rookie joining his brother in the pros to a longtime G-League player finally getting an opportunity, these Zags were still involved in notable storylines throughout the year, potentially paving the way to be larger contributors for contenders when next season rolls around.
Mariners No-Hit Through 6, Late Comeback Comes Up Short in 6-2 Loss to Red Sox
Coming off a gratifying shutout victory against the Baltimore Orioles, the momentum slowed down for the Seattle Mariners on Friday night. Facing an underperforming Red Sox team limping into the Emerald City, Seattle looked primed to rattle off a win streak against a Boston squad fresh off suffering a sweep by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Boston had other plans however, capitalizing on poor pitching decisions, an inability to hit lefties, and a lack of bench depth, as the Sox punished the M’s mistakes at every turn to open the series with a 6-2 win at T-Mobile Park.
Julio Rodriguez homered in the ninth inning to drive in two runs, but it proved far too little, too late. Outside of the centerfielder’s blast, the Mariners had little to celebrate on Juneteenth as they donned their popular Steelhead jerseys, paying homage to the Negro League team that predates the M’s.
What went wrong in the Mariners’ latest defeat?
Kraken the Ice: How Can Seattle Maximize Multiple First Round Picks in 2026 NHL Draft?
Days after the Carolina Hurricanes were crowned Stanley Cup champions, the Seattle Kraken will hope to close the gap with the top teams in hockey with a wealth of picks going into the 2026 NHL Draft, including two first rounders.
Emerald City Spectrum writer Nick Lee breaks down potential targets for Seattle to consider with the seventh overall choice, headlined by standout defenseman Chase Reid, revisits the team's biggest needs heading into the draft, and examines how the organization can get the most out of two first round picks while weighing the possibility of using extra draft capital to facilitate a draft weekend trade.
WATCH: Graham Ike’s Stock Rising Among Gonzaga’s NBA Draft Hopefuls
After a strong finish to his college career at Gonzaga, Graham Ike has sights set on climbing up draft boards as he jumps to the NBA with a growing list of potential suitors for his talents.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Howard Woodard discusses the latest developments on Ike's NBA push, including several interested teams who have taken a closer look at the former Zags star, along with the latest on other Bulldogs such as Tyon Grant-Foster who are aiming for a chance in the association.
Does O-Line Continuity Set Seahawks Up for Sustained Super Bowl Window?
Prior to their latest march to a Super Bowl victory last February, the Seattle Seahawks appeared to have a proverbial “peanut” allergy in regard to developing and maintaining continuity along the offensive line, particularly in the interior at the guard and center positions.
Consistently struggling to keep quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Geno Smith upright and at times failing to establish a reliable ground game under several different offensive coordinators over a nearly decade-long period, the Seahawks have had a different Week 1 starting center in six of the previous seven seasons dating back to Justin Britt’s final year with the team. The guard spots have not been that much more stable during that span, with the exception of Damien Lewis starting four years in a row from 2020 to 2023, sandwiched by games of musical chairs on the left and right side.
But the tides have truly turned in the Pacific Northwest for general manager John Schneider, coach Mike Macdonald, and company as they aim to run it forward, not ironically coinciding with arguably the best season in franchise history for the Seahawks. Anchored by tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas along with standout rookie Grey Zabel, the offensive line improved leaps and bounds under the coaching of long-time NFL assistant John Benton in 2025, providing sterling protection for Sam Darnold and igniting a run game that got hot at the perfect time down the stretch and kept rolling into the playoffs, paving the way for a 17-3 record that culminated with hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
Bryan Woo Burns Through Baltimore Lineup, Mariners Win Series
The Mariners scored three runs in each of their games against the Baltimore Orioles as they began a two-series homestand against a pair of East Coast teams, a tally of runs that is seldom enough for consistent victory. And yet thanks to some incredible pitching - from Logan Gilbert on Tuesday and from Bryan Woo on Thursday - they won two of their three games and took their first series against the Orioles since 2022.
Seattle is now two games above .500, 39-37, after playing a series without Randy Arozarena or Luke Raley and having missed Josh Naylor for two games and Julio Rodríguez for one. In spite of all their hardships over the past couple of weeks, they have kept their heads barely above water as the days of June tick forward and the halfway point inches closer.
Bryan Woo struck back on Thursday, pitching seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts.
This year, Woo hasn’t benefited from the incredible consistency of his 2025 campaign, coming into the game with a 4.28 ERA thanks to a newfound tendency to give up scores of hits with runners in scoring position. With a 1.037 WHIP, 3.25 FIP, and 5.27 strikeout-to-walk ratio, this ERA pace marks a significant outlier. Still, it takes a certain amount of mental fortitude to keep tough innings from becoming disasters, and Woo had given up five or more earned runs in a start four times out of his most recent nine outings. Interspersed among those games were four quality starts and one “Felix quality start” of seven innings, no earned runs, and nine strikeouts.
That seven-inning outing was repeated in style on Thursday as Woo did all three of those things once more. His ERA dipped back down to 3.94 as he mowed down the Orioles inning after inning, catching them off-guard with fastballs well above the zone and using an effective two-strike mix of heaters and breaking balls. A greater unpredictability in his pitch mix was the thing Woo cited as his main adjustment.
WATCH: How Can Reign Climb Back Into NWSL Contention?
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali breaks down the trends that are making teams successful in the NWSL right now and how the middling Seattle Reign (4-5-2, 10th in NWSL) can apply those ideas to get back in the fight. The Reign are back in action on July 4 against North Carolina as the current World Cup/CBA-mandated break continues.
Tyon Grant-Foster Cleared by NBA After Final Collegiate Season with Gonzaga
Unlike some of his former teammates at Gonzaga in Graham Ike and Jalen Warley, Tyon Grant-Foster hasn’t received much, if any at all, NBA Draft buzz since he walked off a college court for the final time back in March.
That wasn’t without reason, as it was announced that Grant-Foster has now officially been cleared by the NBA’s fitness-to-play panel, making him eligible to compete in activities affiliated with the association. The 26-year-old notably missed two seasons during his time in college after experiencing two separate cardiac arrests, needing a defibrillator implanted before he could return to the floor for the 2023-24 season. Following his two years with Grand Canyon after his second heart issue, Grant-Foster transferred to the Zags for his final season in the NCAA, finally getting his eligibility waived during an injunction hearing one week before GU’s first game of the regular season.
Huskies Forward Hannes Steinbach Readies for Jump to NBA
A couple of years ago, Hannes Steinbach realized he might be pretty good at basketball.
Since then, his game has taken him from professional ball in Würzburg, Germany, to the Washington Huskies and, soon, to a yet-to-be-determined NBA city. The experience playing for the Würzburg Baskets of the German Bundesliga made him realize his stop in Montlake could be brief. In his one-and-done season, Steinbach established himself as one of the top freshmen in the NCAA by leading the country with 22 double-doubles with averages of 18.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game.
Speaking to the media Thursday after a pre-draft workout with the Golden State Warriors, Steinbach talked about his whirlwind college career and preparing for Tuesday’s NBA Draft.
Julio Rodríguez Hamstring Injury Raises Roster Management Questions
The Mariners lost 5-3 on Wednesday, with stagnant offense and uninspiring low-leverage relief pitching, but the biggest news from the day was that the continuing injury steamroller picked up another victim. Julio Rodríguez wasn’t in the lineup on Thursday after getting injured during Wednesday’s game. Despite scoring the only run the team had through the first eight innings on the 125th double of his career, a rough at-bat in the bottom of the sixth was his last appearance on the day.
Rodríguez left the game as the top of the seventh began. Rob Refsnyder entered the game in right field and Víctor Robles moved over to center, stretching the in-game roster to its limits considering their day-to-day injuries. Refsnyder faced the right-handed Yennier Cano with runners on the corners and two outs in the bottom of the eighth, popping out to end the inning without any runs coming through, but the longer-term worry regards Rodríguez and what is being called a hamstring spasm.
The center fielder, according to skipper Dan Wilson, suffered this spasm jumping for a low fly ball in the top of the sixth. The team checked in on him after the half inning and took him out after re-checking at the end of the sixth. Wilson elaborated on Thursday that Rodríguez had been recovering well from the injury, only out of the game due to the quick turnaround from the night game to the day game. But these things can take unexpected twists and turns even if that was a fully truthful statement.
Seahawks Move Swiftly Shoring Up Front Office With Six-Pack of Promotions
Success always comes with a price in the NFL, and while the Seattle Seahawks managed to escape the offseason losing only five free agents off of their Super Bowl LX team and kept a large chunk of their coaching staff intact with departing offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak being the biggest departure to replace, reigning Executive of the Year John Schneider will have a much different front office around him moving forward.
In a rare June hiring, the Minnesota Vikings tabbed ex-Seahawks assistant general manager Nolan Teasley as their new general manager, the first of several dominos that fell in quick order. Once Teasley had been introduced in Minneapolis, he made sure to steal a few former colleagues from Schneider’s front office cabinet to come with him, including bringing Minnesota native Trent Kirchner back home with the promotion of assistant general manager and hiring Azzaam Kapadia as assistant director of pro scouting. Kirchner and Kapadia served the titles of vice president of player personnel and NFL scout for Seattle last season, respectively.
Such a drain from the front office wouldn’t typically happen at this stage of the NFL calendar, but Schneider has been forced to make a major pivot retooling the personnel department around him, and ironically, it can be argued that the current situation actually benefited the Seahawks over the norm. Rather than suffering sighe organization had all hands on deck for the entire pre-NFL draft circuit, including the scouting combine, through free agency and the actual draft itself, with Teasley and Kirchner in particular having major voices in the player evaluation and decision-making process throughout in their prior roles.
Instant Takeaways: Fire Erase Storm’s Double-Digit Lead, Spoil Malonga’s Career Night
Dominique Malonga’s career night, the Storm’s best offensive game of the season and a formerly 12-point lead were spoiled by the Portland Fire in a 94-89 loss on Wednesday, June 17, at the Moda Center.
Malonga totaled a career-high 28 points (12 for 19 FG) and 11 rebounds to lead the Storm. Seattle shot 48% from the field, which is well above their season average, but they allowed the Fire to sink 17 triples and attempt eight more free throws — both of which massively influenced the result.
The first three quarters were excellent for the Storm, but they fell back to Earth in the fourth quarter and fumbled away a should-be victory.
Sounders Return to Training, Drop Shortened Practice Game vs. Belgium
The Seattle Sounders are back in action after 18 days away from training and games on account of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Life has changed considerably since the Sounders last dropped their last game on May 24 to LAFC to drop to 7-3-3 (6th in Western Conference), as they are sharing their Renton training facility with the Belgian Red Devils and are planning their training sessions around the national team's schedule. The Rave Green were compensated for their hospitality on Tuesday, as Belgium, fresh off a 1-1 draw against Egypt on Monday in Seattle, played a consortium of Sounders and Tacoma Defiance players in a shortened practice game.
The game featured two 30-minute halves, and the Sounders fell 2-1 in a match that former U.S. Men's National Team winger Paul Arriola described as a solid learning experience in this makeshift offseason program.
"It was a difficult game for us; we defended for a lot of the time," Arriola, 31, said. "We saw a few offensive plays that I think we did pretty well in, and then defensively it was a lot for us to handle. Typically we're a team in MLS that we kind of try and dictate the game and the tempo… yesterday we were put under a lot."
A Decade With Sam Darnold For Seahawks? One Hall of Fame QB Thinks So
Years from now, many will look back on the offseason where the Seattle Seahawks moved on from Geno Smith and signed free agent Sam Darnold to a three-year deal as one of the most gutsy and pendulum-swinging moves in NFL history. Seattle already had a solid roster and the right head coach in place. Smith had a few good seasons in Seattle but the Seahawks needed a new level of quarterback play.
Darnold had just finished a stellar 14-3 season with the Vikings, experiencing a career renaissance under head coach Kevin O’Connell. Unfortunately, things ended abruptly with an ugly playoff loss. Many thought that wherever Darnold went, it wouldn’t be as good as he had it in Minnesota with the offensive guru at head coach and all-world receiver Justin Jefferson at the other end of his throws.
Fast forward to this offseason. After just one year in Seattle, Darnold will never have to buy a drink in the Emerald City ever again. He is the toast of the town. He was named to his second straight Pro Bowl but more importantly, he once again went 14-3 as a starter. This time, he busted those ghosts in the playoffs. He was one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the entire postseason, including going blow-for-blow with the league MVP Matthew Stafford in the NFC Championship Game.
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