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.
Mariners Right Road-Trip Wrongs, Start Homestand With Gritty 3-1 vs. Orioles
Back in tandem for the first time in nearly a month, Logan Gilbert dazzled and Cal Raleigh stole the show as the Seattle Mariners sidestepped a recent myriad of injuries to start off their latest homestand on the right foot, earning a late 3-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles at T-Mobile Park on Tuesday night.
The Mariners returned home for a six-game set still on the wrong side of the injury report. Three lineup mainstays were unavailable, even with Raleigh and J.P. Crawford returning, putting more pressure on Dan Wilson’s stars to show up. And boy did they ever.
Happily firing darts to Raleigh in his first game off the injured list, Gilbert tossed seven innings of one-run ball while striking out a season-high 10 batters. Making an immediate impact with his bat after a long rehab stint in Everett and Tacoma, Raleigh came through in the clutch, scorching a go-ahead RBI single that plated the winning two runs in the seventh inning.
What stood out in Tuesday’s series-opening win?
Cougars Bolster 2027 Recruiting Class, Sign O-Line and WR Prospect
With their latest latest wave of commitments for the 2027 recruiting class, the Washington State Cougars continued a trend that has become a major focus during the first full recruiting cycle under first-year coach Kirby Moore and his staff. The Cougars have put a significant emphasis on recruiting talent throughout the western United States, particularly in California, and that strategy paid off once again with commitments from offensive tackle Landon Guenter and athlete Sirjewel Glover.
Guenter is a 6-6, 255-pound offensive tackle from Redwood High School in Visalia, California. He becomes the 10th California prospect to commit to Washington State in the 2027 recruiting class, further strengthening the Cougars' footprint in one of the nation's most talent-rich recruiting states. Guenter chose Washington State over offers from Fresno State, UNLV, Idaho, and several other programs.
Joining Guenter in the class is Sirjewel Glover, a 6-0, 180-pound playmaker from Rainier Beach High School in Seattle. Glover gives Washington State another talented in-state prospect to develop and becomes the third commitment from Washington in the 2027 class. He selected the Cougars over offers from Oregon State, UNLV, New Mexico, and several other programs.
Five O-Line Recruits, One Huge Weekend Upcoming for Huskies
Rolling out the red carpet as they continue to build an intriguing 2027 recruiting class, the Washington Huskies will try to reel in the foundation of their next great offensive line with coach Jedd Fisch hoping to end the official visit season with a clean sweep locking up top-tier prospects in the trenches.
Offensive line coach Michael Switzer has a chance to put his stamp on this latest recruiting class for the Huskies, with as many as four future Big Ten-caliber starters flying into town. After last year’s crop that brought in five-star left tackle Kodi Greene, UW hopes to be building the next front worthy of the Joe Moore Award, which they last won when they advanced to the National Championship Game in 2023.
Who will be on Montlake this upcoming weekend?
Mariners’ Tuesday Bombshells: Rotating Piggyback, Pereda Sent Down, Arozarena to IL
Tuesday ended in a solid 3-1 win for the Mariners at home against the Orioles, but a flurry of roster moves and decisions may have been even more hectic for the team than that night’s action. The team called Cal Raleigh back up to the MLB roster, announced a first-of-its-kind rotating piggyback, and had to call up a guy who had taken four total plate appearances above High-A ball in his entire career thanks to a seemingly bizarre lack of preparation on Randy Arozarena’s injury status.
Mariners general manager Justin Hollander, speaking with media Tuesday afternoon, noted the inordinate severity of the injury situation as compared to other bugs he had dealt with in his tenure with the team; he noted that Luke Raley and Josh Naylor were both dealing with issues and that Matt Brash, Carlos Vargas, and Cooper Criswell would be out until around the trade deadline. Brendan Donovan is set to start running work in the week, but these persistent injuries are not a good sign. This is especially true of Raley’s lower back tightness, given that similar injuries ended up shattering his 2025 season well after he was officially healed.
The mechanistic plan to have each of Seattle’s six starting pitchers rotate the piggyback amongst themselves is many things, but to use a judgmentally neutral term, it is unprecedented. It is also seemingly contradictory that the same organization that came up with a plan as intricate as a rotating piggyback also waited until a gameday to MRI Arozarena despite having a rest day to do so; had they done the simple thing of scheduling an earlier MRI, they would have been able to call Connor Joe back up as is clearly their long-term plan.
But what’s done is done, as bizarre as the events were. What should be made of these decisions, and what do they mean for the near future of the Mariners’ season?
Analysis: Latest on Devon Witherspoon, Potential Seahawks Extension Candidates
Wrapping up their offseason program last week, the Seattle Seahawks won’t be back in action until players and coaches report for the start of training camp on July 25, but that doesn’t mean the next five weeks will be quiet ones at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
While players and coaches take advantage of rare time off on the NFL calendar, general manager John Schneider and a suddenly patchwork front office following the departures of Nolan Teasley and Trent Kirchner to Minnesota will be digging in deep on potential contract extensions for several star players. Most notably, Seattle has yet to ink cornerback Devon Witherspoon to a new contract after the team made an offer to the player three months ago without an agreement being reached.
A little over a month away from the start of the 2026 season, will Schneider and the Seahawks be able to cross the finish line re-signing Witherspoon? And after extending pass rusher Derick Hall during OTAs, which other players entering the final year of their current contract could also be in line for a new deal this summer?
Here’s the latest intel on three veterans who may or may not have a new contract in tow when camp begins:
Rest of AL West Doing Mariners Favor So Far, But Will It Last?
The 2026 Seattle Mariners have experienced a series of stops and starts thus far. They have been as many as five games under .500. They recently rode an eight-game winning streak to put them back on track towards leading the AL West division.
However, since that streak was snapped, the Mariners are back to an uneven stretch, going 4-7 since, with two series losses sandwiching a series split in Baltimore.
That’s not the type of success expected of a contender. Sitting at 37-36, that typically is not the record that would lead a division. For example, in the National League, they would be currently eight games back at least of any of the three divisions with that record and would even be outside of the Wild Card picture.
However, given that they are in the weaker American League, their record is good enough to be atop the AL West by just a half of a game over the Athletics despite ranking 13th in winning percentage overall in MLB.
Seattle World Cup Matchday 1 Recap: Egypt and Belgium Draw, Fans Fall in Love with Lumen
SEATTLE — The FIFA World Cup, bigger than ever in its new 48-team format, made its way to Seattle on Monday afternoon as Belgium and Egypt met in their group stage opener. The tournament, spanning 16 cities and 104 matches, will give six to the Emerald City.
Fans showed up in droves for each side, while some locals took off work and school to see international superstars like Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah up close. The game didn’t disappoint, as a first-half goal from the underdog Pharaohs set the tone. Then, Belgium's all-time leading scorer, Romelu Lukaku, subbed on in the second half and forced an Egypt own goal mere seconds later. That 1-1 scoreline would hold as fans from the game were treated to watch parties across the city for the remaining two games of the day.
Monday demonstrated the undertaking this World Cup is from a logistical perspective, and Seattle seems to have passed with flying colors. Fans online praised Lumen Field, or Seattle Stadium on account of FIFA’s advertising guidelines, for its design and the noise it can help generate. On the ground, there was no shortage of ways to stay connected with the rest of the tournament as the city truly breathed the game.
What was the experience like on the ground as Seattle introduced itself to the biggest sporting event on the planet?
“There’s a Feeling of Emptiness”: Late Legion Push Drops Seawolves in Semifinal
TUKWILA, Wash. - A week prior, it had been the California Legion who regularly tried one offload too many, who had suffered a few too many penalties, and who had generally gotten in their own way.
The shoe was on the other foot on Sunday night, however, and the Seawolves’ season ended with a loss to the California Legion in the playoff semifinal. The MLR Shield, though it will be ultimately decided in Chicago on June 21, will not be coming to Seattle at the end of the year.
“It’s exit interviews and mop-ups from here on in,” Seawolves head coach Allen Clarke told Emerald City Spectrum. “There’s a feeling of emptiness because we weren’t quite ready for the season to end yet.”
Seattle fought valiantly to the end, taking a brief lead in the second half and getting plenty of chances to pull the score closer or return to that lead as the match continued, but in the end, the Legion triumphed by the palindromic score of 43-34.
“I think the fight was there up until 79 minutes, 40 seconds in, you know,” said blindside flanker Marno Redelinghuys. “Doesn’t matter what the time says on the clock, we always wanted to fight and just get a last try in. It doesn’t matter if the scoreboard says we’re not going to be able to win.”
Gonzaga Finalizes Commitment From French Guard Juwan Ekanga-Ehawa
Exit one young French guard, enter another.
Saturday at 2 PM PT was the deadline for international players to withdraw from the NBA Draft, and to no surprise, Jack Kayil remained in the process and looks to hear his name called early next week in Brooklyn. But the Gonzaga Bulldogs have already been operating on the conclusion that he was never re-routing back to Spokane.
Pivoting to a countryman of Kayil, the Zags have reportedly landed a commitment from 6-5 combo guard Juwan Ekanga-Ehawa, adding the talented 18-year-old into a backcourt that already includes Mario Saint-Supéry and Isiah Harwell. The move marks GU’s seventh added player of the offseason, and its third incoming freshman.
Stock Watch: Which Seahawks Have Edge in Roster Battles After Offseason Program?
Bringing another offseason program to a close, the Seattle Seahawks wrapped up mandatory minicamp with a spirited final practice session highlighted by strong defense, sending the team into summer break before returning to kick off training camp on July 25.
“I feel like it's been great,” veteran defensive tackle Leonard Williams said. “Great attendance from the leaders, from the older guys. Young guys working hard, trying to be sponges of the game, learn as much as possible. To me, I really just see our culture elevate to another level.”
Coming off an All-Pro season, Williams won’t have to worry about his starting job or roster spot being in jeopardy when Seattle returns to the practice field next month. However, several positional groups on offense and defense already have intense competitions well underway that will continue in earnest in training camp, whether for starting roles or one of the final spots on the 53.
Heading into a six-week moratorium, which competitions have emerged as ones to watch once training camp arrives? And where do things stand on the depth chart at those positions coming out of the offseason program?
Washington State Signs Two More California Recruits to Growing 2027 Class
Washington State continues to build momentum on the recruiting trail under first-year coach Kirby Moore, as the Cougars added two more commitments to their 2027 recruiting class this weekend heralding from the Golden State.
Pledging their commitments to the program, cornerback Noah Clark from Inglewood High School and edge rusher Sonasi Maka II from Deer Valley High School in Antioch, California, both announced their intentions to take their talents to Pullman.
With the additions of Clark and Maka II, Washington State now has 14 total commitments in its 2027 class. The Cougars have made California a major priority in this recruiting cycle, as nine of those 14 commitments currently come from the Golden State. The entire class is made up of players from the western region of the United States, highlighting the recruiting strategy being used by the Washington State coaching staff.
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