7-4-2025 – By Ethan Smith – @mvp_EtHaN on X
Happy July 4 everyone and welcome to the Pittsburgh Pirates versus Seattle Mariners series preview.
Hopefully you all have a full day of grilling some burgers and hotdogs, drinking a few cold ones, responsibly, and some quality family time this Independence Day, and hey, why not take in some Buccos baseball while you’re at it.
Pittsburgh heads west to take on Seattle this July 4 weekend to take on the Mariners, riding a high wave after sweeping both the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park en route to a 6-0 home stand.
Not only did the Pirates win all six at home versus the Mets and Cardinals, but they did so in historic fashion, outscoring their opponents 43-4 over the past six matchups.
On another historic note, Mitch Keller also became the Pirates all-time strikeout leader at PNC Park in another strong start versus the Cardinals on Wednesday.
History aside, the six-game win streak has been arguably the best stretch of baseball the Pirates have played all season, and they’ll look to continue that hot streak versus Seattle, who is coming off a four-game split versus the Kansas City Royals, losing the finale 3-2 on Thursday.
Much like Pittsburgh, Seattle boasts a strong starting rotation, but it’s been Seattle’s offense that has taken a noticeable step forward this season, headlined by Cal Raleigh, who currently leads all of MLB in home runs and RBIs and third in OPS. Raleigh was named to his first MLB All-Star Game this season and will be the starting catcher for the American League, Jeff Passan announced Wednesday.
Three games are on the way at T-Mobile Park this Independence Day weekend, so lets take a look at pitching matchups, who’s hot, who’s not and more.
7/4
Pirates: LHP Bailey Falter: 6-3 / 87.0 IP / 3.62 ERA / 1.22 WHIP / 74 H / 52 K / 32 BB / 9 HR
Mariners: RHP Bryan Woo: 7-4 / 101.1 IP / 2.93 ERA / 0.97 WHIP / 81 H / 96 K / 17 BB / 14 HR
7/5
Pirates: RHP Mike Burrows: 1-2 / 34.2 IP / 4.15 ERA / 1.30 WHIP / 35 H / 35 K / 10 BB / 7 HR
Mariners: RHP Luis Castillo: 4-5 / 96.1 IP / 3.55 ERA / 1.29 WHIP / 92 H / 79 K / 32 BB / 12 HR
7/6
Pirates: RHP Paul Skenes: 4-7 / 111 IP / 2.03 ERA / 0.92 WHIP / 72 H / 115 K / 30 BB / 5 HR
Mariners: RHP George Kirby: 2-4 / 42.2 IP / 4.85 ERA / 1.17 WHIP / 41 H / 41 K / 9 BB / 7 HR
Pirates: Ke’Bryan Hayes
The Pirates offense has come alive over the past week, but Ke’Bryan Hayes has come alive offensively as of late, posting a .309/.333/.364 slash with 17 hits and 10 RBIs over his past 15 games.
Hayes is slugging .500 over his past seven appearances, and coming off a series in which Hayes had a hit in every game versus the Cardinals, which extended his hitting-streak to 11 games dating back to June 19, one would hope his hitting streak continues versus the Mariners this weekend.
Mariners: Randy Arozarena
Randy Arozarena was a massive addition for the Mariners at the 2024 trade deadline, coming over from the Tampa Bay Rays and adding a spark to the Mariners offense.
2024 didn’t go quite his way, but he’s had more success in 2025, posting 12 homers and a .791 OPS to boot, and he’s been impressive as of late, posting a .350/.379/.513 slash with four home runs and 12 RBIs over his past 15 games.
He’s coming off of a six-hit series versus the Royals over the past four days, so watch out for Arozarena’s hot streak versus a solid Pirates starting pitching staff.
Pirates: Oneil Cruz
Oneil Cruz is quite the enigma when it comes to baseball. On one side of the coin, he has undeniable power and superb stolen base ability, ranking second in baseball behind Jose Caballero in stolen bases, but on the other side of the coin, when Cruz struggles, he struggles.
Cruz currently leads all of baseball in strikeouts with 110, 22 of those coming in his past 15 appearances, where he’s slashed .153/.215/.271 with two homers and five RBIs. Cruz only has five walks in that span as well, highlighting a rough stretch for one of the best bats in the Pirates lineup.
Its unlikely Cruz will see a left-handed starter in this series versus Seattle, and the Mariners only feature two left-handed arms on their entire roster. Seattle surrenders a .771 OPS to left-handed hitters, so this could be a good chance for Cruz to get back on track.
Mariners: Jorge Polanco
Polanco has played the fifth most games(70) for the Mariners this year, but he has also been one of their more unproductive players as of late, posting a .215/.271/.318 slash with nine RBIs over his last 30 games.
Polanco is hitting just .208 over his last seven games, despite having four hits versus the Royals in the Mariners previous series.
Being a much better hitter at home, having an .855 OPS at home versus a .653 on the road, could bode well for Polanco this weekend, who could use a spark offensively to get back on track, and the Mariners would like to see it too.
Pirates:
Colin Holderman: 15-day IL(estimated return July 4)
Ryan Borucki: 15-day IL(estimated return July 6)
Mariners:
Colin Snider: 15-day IL(estimated return July 5)
Cade Marlowe: 60-day IL(estimated return July 5)
Gregory Santos: 60-day IL(estimated return July 24)
Bryce Miller: 15-day IL(estimated return July 25)
Notes
- The Pittsburgh Pirates are 9-14 versus the Seattle Mariners all-time
- The Pirates beat the Mariners 2-1 in their series in Pittsburgh in 2024, their first series win versus Seattle since 2016
- Notable players to play for both Pittsburgh and Seattle include Rich Gossage, Jack Wilson, Richie Zisk, Carlos Santana and Jason Bay, with Rowdy Tellez being the most recent player on both teams(PIT ’24, SEA ’25)
- The first game played at T-Mobile Park was July 15, 1999
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