Struggling Seattle Mariners come to Milwaukee to face the Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers are back from their second West Coast trip of the past three weeks, resting through a badly needed off day Aug. 17 and getting set to welcome an American League opponent to American Family Field. Finally, the West Coast comes to them.

All three games will air on Brewers.TV and AM-620 WTMJ radio.

• Aug. 18, 6:40 p.m.: Milwaukee LHP Kyle Harrison (9-3 record, 3.47 ERA) vs. Seattle RHP Bryce Miller (4-6, 3.39).

• Aug. 19, 6:40 p.m.: Milwaukee RHP Dustin May (6-7, 4.13) vs. Seattle RHP Logan Gilbert (9-7, 3.28).
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• Aug. 20, 1:10 p.m.: Milwaukee LHP Robert Gasser (3-5, 4.54) vs. Seattle RHP George Kirby (8-9, 3.89).

Aug. 18, 6:40 p.m.: Milwaukee LHP Kyle Harrison (9-3 record, 3.47 ERA) vs. Seattle RHP Bryce Miller (4-6, 3.39).

Aug. 19, 6:40 p.m.: Milwaukee RHP Dustin May (6-7, 4.13) vs. Seattle RHP Logan Gilbert (9-7, 3.28).

Aug. 20, 1:10 p.m.: Milwaukee LHP Robert Gasser (3-5, 4.54) vs. Seattle RHP George Kirby (8-9, 3.89).
this year?

The Mariners went to last year’s American League championship series after finishing 90-72 and are struggling in 2026, but the American League is a wild place this year, and the Mariners head into the new week just 2½ games out of a playoff spot.

That requires a significant caveat. Seattle would have to leapfrog six teams to get that playoff spot. The Orioles (61-63), Rangers (61-64), Blue Jays (61-65), Tigers (60-64), Twins (60-65) and Guardians (60-65) all are still alive for the final wild-card spot in the field.

Seattle’s offense simply hasn’t been very good this season, putting manager Dan Wilson squarely on the hot seat. Their total of 489 runs entering the week is worst in Major League Baseball.

By far the biggest issue has been the disappearance of catcher Cal Raleigh, who went from MVP contender last year to sub-replacement level in 2026, with just 13 homers in 384 plate appearances and a stunning .568 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentages). This is a man who hit 60 home runs last year.

But the offensive struggles aren’t limited to Raleigh. Dominic Canzone and Julio Rodríguez are the only regular players with an OPS in the 800s (.831 and .827). The Mariners also happen to be among the worst defensive teams in baseball, if not the worst.

It’s true that the Brewers will see some pretty good arms in this series, and the Mariners in general have some credible pitching lines. Bryan Woo (4.10 ERA) has fallen off after finishing fifth in the American League Cy Young vote last year but won’t pitch in the series, nor will Emerson Hancock (3.30 ERA), who has the second-best ERA mark in the rotation.

Kirby has been a little fortunate, having yielded more hits than any other pitcher in the American League and owning a WHIP of 1.31. But Gilbert and Miller are legit.

It’s been a rough year for closer Andrés Muñoz (4.37 ERA this year), but the team has gotten solid bullpen work from Eduard Bazardo and others.

Second-year player Cole Young leads the team in Baseball Reference WAR (wins against replacement) at 4.1, followed closely by Randy Arozarena (3.9), Gilbert (3.2) and Rodríguez (3.0).

Young is a nice player, but if a .723 OPS guy is your team leader in WAR, it might be an indication of an offense lacking firepower.

Canzone is a designated hitter, so his WAR value is naturally lower, but he has an .831 OPS and 19 homers, tied for the team best. The Brewers may have only one 20-homer hitter, but the Mariners still are looking for their first, although they have 145 as a team, well ahead of Milwaukee’s last-place tally of 113.

It helps that Seattle has eight players with double-digit homers (two are injured for this series in J.P. Crawford and Luke Raley). The Brewers have only five double-digit homer-hitters.

Raleigh, Rodríguez, Josh Naylor and Brendan Donovan are among the offensive players underperforming.

Both Mariners shortstop Colt Emerson and Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt will miss the series on the injured list. The two have something in common as players signed to long-term deals before they made their major-league debuts.

Emerson, who signed an eight-year deal worth $95 million, has struggled to a .581 OPS in his first 241 career plate appearances. The 21-year-old has inflammation in his wrist, and the Mariners said Emerson’s struggles thus far may have something to do with the wrist, and he wasn’t forthcoming about the severity of his discomfort.

Emerson was in the process of a demotion to Class AAA when the injury news broke. Seattle hasn’t ruled out season-ending surgery.

While Pratt also is sidelined by a hamstring issue, he’s expected back soon. He signed an eight-year deal worth $50.75 million and has a 1.4 WAR this season, thanks to his excellent shortstop defense and solid .720 OPS, with two homers and 10 steals.

Seattle just won two of three at Houston, a current playoff team, and the only loss was a wild 10-7 walk-off in 10 innings. All told, the Mariners have won three of their past four.

However, Seattle lost six straight before that and seven of eight. Since a win July 20, the Mariners are 8-16 with a pair of those wins in walk-off fashion.

The Brewers will host the Texas Rangers from Aug. 28-30 and visit Baltimore from Sept. 18-20, but the rest of the teams on the schedule are of the NL persuasion.

Milwaukee will host Atlanta on Friday and Saturday (Aug. 21-22), which should be a pretty fascinating clash between the teams with the two best records in the National League. But the Sunday finale will shift to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for the Little League Classic.

Yes they are. The ESPN-aired game is one of those specialty games, and only Little Leaguers and their families will be able to attend. It counts as a Brewers home game, and they’ll have only 80 true dates at American Family Field this year.

A hat designed by Racine artist Ric Stultz will be given away Tuesday, Aug. 18, to the first 10,000 fans. The bigger giveaways come this weekend, with a Hank Aaron replica Brewers jersey (25,000 fans) on Friday and a Jackson Chourio cereal bowl (25,000 fans) on Saturday. You get it right? A Chourio bowl. Like Cheerios? OK, you get it.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Struggling Seattle Mariners come to Milwaukee to face the Brewers