Seattle Mariners Star Making Adjustments in Best Stretch of Season
The Seattle Mariners are in the final stretch of the regular season and are still trying to make a push for the playoffs. Entering play on Monday, Seattle is 4.5 games back in the American League West. They are just 3.5 games back in the battle for the American League wild card. They trail the Minnesota Twins in that race. There are 18 games left to play.
And franchise star Julio Rodriguez has been a big factor in the Mariners keeping the playoffs within reach.
Rodriguez went 2-for-5 with a double and scored twice in Seattle's 10-4 win against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. The Mariners earned the series win with the victory. But Rodriguez also kept up a team-best streak.
Rodriguez had a base hit for his 11th consecutive game on Sunday. That's the longest hitting streak by any M's player this year.
Rodriguez's hit streak started on Aug. 28 against the Tampa Bay Rays. Over that stretch, he's hitting .370 (17-for-46) with three home runs, nine RBIs and 12 runs.
Julio Rodríguez, completely obliterated ... The third-longest homer of his career and the Mariners’ second-longest of 2024.
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) September 5, 2024
Exit velo: 111.1 mph
Launch angle: 27°
Distance: 448 ft.
Hang time: 5.4 seconds pic.twitter.com/rpO3kg37rT
Rodriguez has bumped his season batting average up from .251 to .262 over the last 11 games. He's had four mult-hit games over that stretch.
It's been a down year for Rodriguez by his standards, but getting hot at the end could really help him end the season positively.
Rodriguez has developed a habit of turning things up as the regular season winds down. New hitting coach Edgar Martinez has also helped the team as a result of his instruction, per several accounts from various players.
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