Cal Raleigh aims to power M's vs. Padres in showdown of contenders

Cal Raleigh was at a loss.

The Seattle Mariners catcher had just broken not one, but two major-league records with a second-inning home run -- his second of the afternoon -- and had walked the length of the dugout with the team's celebratory home-run trident, receiving high-fives.

When Raleigh turned, he realized the crowd was still cheering.

Veteran teammate Donovan Solano nearly had to push Raleigh up the stairs to take a curtain call as fans at T-Mobile Park chanted "MVP!"

"I didn't want to look dumb," Raleigh said after hitting his major-league leading 48th and 49th homers of the season in an 11-4 victory against the Athletics. "Special moment. I'll definitely remember that."

Raleigh, whose team will host the San Diego Padres as part of the inaugural Vedder Cup on Monday, eclipsed the MLB mark of 48 homers in a season for a player who primarily plays catcher, set by Kansas City's Salvador Perez in 2021. It was also Raleigh's ninth multi-homer game of the year, surpassing Mickey Mantle's record for a switch-hitter set in 1961.

The Mariners swept the first three games of the Vedder Cup, May 16-18 in San Diego. The series is named for Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder, who has ties to both cities. It benefits his charity to find a cure for Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), a genetic skin condition.

The Padres had a five-game winning streak snapped Sunday in an 8-2 loss to the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers.

The defeat left the Padres tied with the Dodgers atop the National League West.

"We're playing outstanding baseball, so I don't tend to get too caught up in (Sunday's loss)," Padres manager Mike Shildt said. "Today we were disappointed. Didn't happen for us. We couldn't be more thrilled. We're tied for our division lead and expect to go win it."

The Padres are scheduled to send left-hander JP Sears (8-10, 4.94 ERA) to the mound Monday against Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller (2-5, 5.87).

Sears, acquired at the trade deadline, is coming off his first victory with the Padres. He allowed one run on four hits over six innings Wednesday in an 8-1 win over the visiting San Francisco Giants.

Sears is 2-6 with a 2.77 ERA in 11 career appearances against the Mariners, with 10 starts. He faced the Mariners twice previously this season while with the Athletics, losing both.

On March 30 in Seattle, he gave up two runs over 6 2/3 innings of a 2-1 defeat. He lasted just 4 1/3 innings July 28 in West Sacramento, Calif., allowing three runs (two earned) in a 3-1 decision.

Miller, who has had a pair of stints on the injured list this season due to a bone spur in his right elbow, returned Tuesday at Philadelphia and gave up four runs over five innings. He didn't get a decision in a game the Mariners lost 6-4.

Miller pitched six scoreless innings in his only previous appearance against the Padres in a 2-0 victory on July 10, 2024, in San Diego.

The Mariners open the series trailing the Houston Astros by two games in the American League West but three games ahead for the final AL wild-card spot.

--Field Level Media