Mariners get three shutout wins in a row

SEATTLE (AP) – The Seattle Mariners overcame the Pittsburgh Pirates with shutout games Saturday and Sunday, after the Mariners' 6-0 win over Pittsburgh Friday. In Friday's play, the Mariners’ Cal Raleigh hit his 34th and 35th career home runs.  

Weekend play between the two teams was dominated by the Seattle team, with the Mariners making fans proud on the diamond.  

Saturday play 

Ben Williamson had an RBI double in the sixth inning, Luis Castillo tossed seven innings, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0 on Saturday night. 

Williamson, who came in with just one RBI since May 29, patiently waited on a cutter down in the zone from Pirates reliever Caleb Ferguson (0-3) and smacked it into the right-center gap to put the Mariners in front. 

It was the only run they would need with Castillo (5-5) easily going through the Pirates’ lineup. 

The right-hander gave up two singles while striking out a season-high eight. He needed just 99 pitches to tie his season-high for innings. 

Matt Brash pitched the eighth, and Andres Munoz got the last three outs for his 20th save. 

Pirates starter Mike Burrows gave up three hits and walked four while striking out six in five innings. 

Just two hitters into the game, Pirates designated hitter Andrew McCutchen got a hold of a four-seam fastball from Castillo. Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez raced to and collided with the wall in left-center field to take extra bases away from McCutchen. 

Sunday play 

Randy Arozarena homered, George Kirby tossed 6 1/3 crisp innings and the Seattle Mariners shut out the punchless Pirates for the third straight game, winning 1-0 on Sunday as Pittsburgh wasted another strong start by All-Star Paul Skenes. 

Arozarena hit his 14th longball of the season and sixth in seven games when he turned on a low fastball in the sixth inning from reliever Carmen Mlodzinski (2-6). 

Skenes had a short but effective outing, striking out 10 and allowing five hits in five innings. He threw 52 of his 78 pitches for strikes and lowered his ERA to 1.94, but is just 4-7 this season. 

Pittsburgh was beaten 6-0 on Friday and 1-0 on Saturday during its scoreless weekend in Seattle. Before making the trip, the Pirates blanked St. Louis three straight times at home. The streak of playing in six straight shutouts is tied for the longest in major league history. 

Kirby (3-4) struck out nine, allowed four singles and walked none. 

Andres Muñoz, named an AL All-Star on Sunday, worked the ninth for his 21st save, which is one shy of his career high. 

The Mariners came close to taking a 1-0 lead in the first on a single by Jorge Polanco, but Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz made a 105.2 mph throw to nab Seattle’s J.P. Crawford at the plate. It was the second-hardest thrown ball to produce an outfield assist since Statcast started tracking in 2015. 

Palanco’s hit was the 1,000th of his career.  

The Mariners are set to play the Yankees today in New York.  

    Seattle Mariners' Ben Williamson hits a RBI-double during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Saturday, July 5, 2025, in Seattle.