Cal Raleigh thinks 'better days' ahead for Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners have found themselves in a trying situation.

Already having missed the playoffs by a small margin in each of the past two seasons, the M’s have skidded on the road in the last month, losing 12 of their last 14 games away from T-Mobile Park, including five of their last six.

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As a result, the Mariners have gone from being in a tie for both the AL West lead and the American League’s top wild card on Aug. 12 to entering Friday just 1 1/2 games up for the last playoff spot.

On this week’s edition of The Honey Bucket Cal Raleigh Show, the Mariners star catcher addressed the team’s struggles and his own feelings with just over three weeks left in the regular season.

“We still have 20-something-odd games left. You obviously want to put yourself in a great position, you have to get there in general, but there’s a lot that can happen,” Raleigh told Seattle Sports’ Shannon Drayer. “Some teams really don’t start clicking ’til late in the year, and it’s something that you want to be able to click all year, you want to be able to have a good group mentally through 162. Can’t change anything that’s happened already, so at this point it’s putting our best foot forward and trying to play good baseball.

“People have said it before, if we can get in (to the playoffs), a lot of things can happen. That’s a pretty common phrase you hear throughout the league. We definitely have a lot of talent here. It’s just about putting it together these last few weeks and putting ourselves in the best position to make the playoffs and make that deep run that we want to.”

The Mariners called a team meeting while in Tampa Bay earlier this week for a series against the Rays, who went on to sweep three games from the M’s.

“Sometimes you just gotta get things out in the air and you gotta address them head on, be honest and truthful about the situation we’re in,” Raleigh said about the meeting. “And the fact of the matter is we’re just not playing well and not playing good baseball and not winning. There’s never been a team meeting when you’re playing well. So that’s just kind of how it goes.

“We’re aware of the situation and we’re doing everything we can to to fix it. We’re gonna try to play better. I do think there’s better days ahead.”

With 51st HR, Mariners’ Cal Raleigh closes in on more records

How can the Mariners make those better days happen?

“I think we’ve just got to go down with the sword in the hand, not holding up the shield,” Raleigh said. “It’s kind of the way I look at it. Don’t play defense, play offense. If we’re going to fail, fail on our own terms and fail going down swinging in a way, and being aggressive and being the aggressor. Don’t go down trying to be defensive or maybe being unsure, not being ready to go. That’s kind of the focus to me, every night.

“Whatever happens, leave it on the field, and like I said, if you’re being the aggressor and you’re being the one attacking, whether that’s on the mound or at the plate, being ready to go, then if we fail, we fail. It is what it is. But don’t go down trying to be defensive or cute on the mound or trying to be passive at the plate, whatever it may be.”

With 21 games to go, Raleigh gives a look at the #Mariners focus and outlook on this week’s @honeybucket Cal Raleigh Show.

“The focus to me is being the aggressor. Having that aggressive mindset and going and taking it, not trying to feel like we are losing something or we are… pic.twitter.com/D86jVJ2zP9

— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) September 5, 2025

Does it help or hurt to look at the standings when a team is at this point?

“You look at them, you don’t look at them, it’s still the same,” Raleigh said. “Regardless of that, you get yourself ready to go every single day and you try to put your best foot forward to win that night and to win that pitch. And like I said, just focusing on that and letting the rest take care of itself and we can’t control anything else. All we can control is what we do, and very cliche but it is true, you can look or you can’t look, but it won’t change anything.”

Catch The Honey Bucket Cal Raleigh Show each Thursday during the baseball season on Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob.

Cal Raleigh thinks ‘better days’ ahead for Seattle Mariners

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