BREAKING: Mariners’ 23-years old key man Is back
The game log for Seattle Mariners star Julio Rodríguez in May has been extremely inconsistent.
Umpire Ángel Hernández, who previously sued MLB without success, is now retiring.
Rodríguez started the month strong with a three-hit game but then went hitless in two consecutive games, followed by a three-game hitless streak, and even a four-game drought last week. Despite these struggles, he has had some promising periods, including an eight-game hitting streak in the middle of the month, and a potentially season-turning three-game stretch recently.
This stretch began on Saturday when Rodríguez hit his first home run in almost two weeks. The next day, he hit another home run, his fourth of the year, and went 3 for 5, contributing a tying RBI single and scoring the go-ahead run in a 9-5 victory over Washington that prevented a sweep by the Nationals. On Monday, he continued his strong performance by going 2 for 4 with a run scored in a 3-2 win against the American League West rival Houston Astros.
In total, over the past three games, Rodríguez has gone 6 for 13, scored four runs, driven in five RBIs, stolen four bases, and hit half of his season’s home runs.
Julio brings home 2️⃣ more! #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/GNHcNGatnu
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) May 26, 2024
Even though the Mariners (29-26) are leading the AL West, the team’s offense has struggled throughout the year. Julio Rodríguez’s recent resurgence highlights his crucial role in Seattle’s lineup.
“I don’t think we can say it enough,” Mike Salk remarked on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Tuesday. “For all of the worry we’ve had about the offense and specifically about Julio Rodríguez, when he performs like he did over the last two, three games, it changes everything. It looks different, it impacts the team differently than anyone else, and nothing brings more hope than Julio being Julio.”
Brock Huard, Salk’s co-host, echoed this sentiment.
“With Julio, you have that one player whose talent can truly stand out,” Huard said. “A Ty France, a Mitch Garver, a (Jorge) Polanco, a Mitch Haniger at this stage, Dylan Moore – most of those guys hover around league averages in offensive categories. Sure, someone can get hot for stretches. (Josh) Rojas got hot for a while, and (Luke) Raley has been exceptional for stretches. Dylan has been fantastic, far exceeding his expected role and pay grade, and that’s why the team is over .500. But the player whose talent can soar far above those averages, whose skills when they click are unmatched, is Julio.”
More Than Just a Bat
Rodríguez’s value extends beyond his batting performance. He’s one of the top defensive center fielders and his speed on the basepaths can change the course of a game. By successfully stealing bases twice on both Sunday and Monday, he accomplished something no Mariners player has done in almost 13 years.
.@JRODshow44 is the first @Mariners player with multiple stolen bases in back-to-back games since Ichiro Suzuki from Sept. 8-9, 2011.
— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) May 28, 2024
“What’s so fun about Julio when he gets going like that is it’s not just the power, it’s the entire package,” Salk said. “He’s such a complete player in a way that very few great hitters are… and there aren’t many of them who can affect the game in as many ways as he can.”
So, is the real Julio back? It will take more than a three-game stretch to determine that, but his manager made a comment after Sunday’s win that should provide hope.
“Huge game by Julio. Really happy for him. You know, everybody’s happy to see it,” Scott Servais said. “That’s the Julio Rodríguez that we’ve grown to know over the last couple of years and hopefully he can keep that going. That’s the best he’s looked all year.”
Listen to the full conversation from Tuesday’s Brock and Salk just before the last segment in the podcast [here](link) or in the player near the top of this post. Catch Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk live from 6-10 a.m. weekdays.