With the Seattle Mariners getting the day off Thursday, it’s a good time to take a step back and see which players are trending up and down as they head into the stretch run of the playoff race.

Mariners Playoff Race: Pressure put on Astros in AL West

Here’s a look at the M’s who have been heating up and others who have cooled off.

Who’s hot for the Seattle Mariners
Eugenio Suárez

The big get of the Mariners’ big trade deadline had a rough start to his second tenure in Northwest Green, but he’s gotten back into the groove with his power stroke lately.

After hitting three-run home runs in back-to-back games against the Padres this week, the slugging third baseman has four homers and eight RBIs in his last seven games. “Geno” went just 4 for 41 (.098 average) in his first 11 games back with the M’s, but he’s 13 for 49 (.265) with a .990 OPS in the 14 games since. That’s a lot more like the Suárez the Mariners traded for at the deadline.

Geno continues power surge with another big HR vs. Padres

On the year, Suárez is fourth in MLB both in homers (42) and RBIs (104), as well as sixth with a .549 slugging mark.

George Kirby

It was a trying first half for the 6-foot-4 righty as Kirby missed nearly two months to open the season, then struggled to find his consistency on the mound. He’s more or less been on his game for the last month, though.

In Kirby’s last six starts, he’s 4-2 with a 3.03 ERA and 38 strikeouts to 13 walks. But if you throw out his one rough outing in that stretch, which was the Little League Classic against the New York Mets where he allowed seven runs on 12 hits and three walks over 4 2/3 innings, his numbers really look impressive.

In those five other games combined, he’s posted a 1.16 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 34 strikeouts to 10 walks over 31 innings.

Julio Rodríguez

Seattle’s cornerstone center fielder has looked a lot more like himself ever since the last series before the All-Star break, but he’s really taken off in August.

Over Rodríguez’s last 22 games, he’s slashing .330/.372/.614 for a .986 OPS with six homers, 16 runs, 16 RBIs and four stolen bases. That’s raised his season slash line from .250/.306/.428 on Aug. 2 to .263/.316/.458 entering play Friday.

Who’s not
Randy Arozarena (as the leadoff hitter)

To be clear, this is a really specific point – I’m focusing mainly on the times when Arozarena has been the first batter the Mariners send up to the plate in a game, which has been the case since they moved him to the leadoff spot right after the trade deadline.

When hitting in the first inning of the 25 games since, Arozarena is just 4 for 21 (.191), with all four hits being singles. He’s also walked three times and been hit by two pitches.

Arozarena’s numbers are down in general since the change – .192/.270/.337 slash for a .606 OPS with four homers – so he’s done much better this year when hitting somewhere in the middle of the order. Before July 31, Arozarena had a .249/.351/.471 slash for a .822 OPS, but his line is now down to .238/.335/.443 for a .778 OPS.

It might be time to try Julio in the leadoff spot and let Randy go back to bopping in the cleanup or No. 5 spot.

Cole Young

Seattle’s rookie second baseman really impressed in July and early August, but ever since the start of the Mariners’ last road trip, he’s been in a slump.

Following a four-walk game on Aug. 9, Young had a .253/.341/.352 slash line for a .692 OPS on the year. But in 12 games since, he’s just 4 for 35 (.114) with a .462 OPS. Even worse, three of those hits came in the same Aug. 15 game against the Mets. If you just look at his nine games after that season highlight, he’s 1 for 25 (.040) – though the one hit was a homer in Philadelphia.

Young’s slash entering Friday is .228/.317/.335 for a .652 OPS.

Luis Castillo

The three-time All-Star was one of the best pitchers in baseball from late June into early August, as he went 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA over an eight-start stretch. His last three starts have been troubling, though, as he has allowed 14 earned runs on 24 hits, six walks and a hit batter while logging just a combined 13 innings. That equals out to a 9.94 ERA, and it has ballooned his season ERA from 3.19 on Aug. 8 to 3.75.

What’s next for the Seattle Mariners

The Mariners (72-62) open a nine-game, 10-day road trip with a 4:10 p.m. contest against the Cleveland Guardians (66-66) on Friday. Radio coverage on Seattle Sports will begin at 3 p.m. with the pregame show. The M’s currently own the third and final wild card spot in the American League, sitting five games ahead of Cleveland.

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