Sizzling-hot Jorge Polanco is propelling the resurgent Mariners offense

SEATTLE (AP) — Had the weather been a bit more cooperative and the winds a tad friendlier, Jorge Polanco’s excellent evening would have turned into arguably the greatest game of his major league career.

Instead of his first three-home run game, Polanco had to settle for just a couple in the Mariners’ 5-3 win against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night.

It was the second time in three games Polanco hit a pair of home runs in a contest, and he came within feet of making it a trio if not for Angels center fielder Jo Adell robbing him of another.

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“I thought it was a homer, too,” Polanco said. “But, it is what it is.”

Adell’s robbery aside, Polanco has been the catalyst for a surprising Mariners offense. Just a few months ago, such a reality seemed improbable.

Polanco underwent surgery in October to repair the left patellar tendon. Then in November, the Mariners declined his $12 million option for the 2025 season, only to bring him back for the discounted rate of $7 million.

All Polanco has proven to be is one of the best bargains in baseball through the early stages of the season.

Following Tuesday night’s contest, Polanco leads all MLB hitters with a minimum of 70 plate appearances with a 260 weighted runs created plus. Polanco is also the American League’s reigning player of the week after going 8 for 17 with two doubles, four home runs and eight RBIs in five games.

Polanco is in the greatest groove of his big league career.

“It’s been a really good stretch, really fun. I think this is the best I’ve felt,” Polanco said. “I feel really good right now with the approach and everything.”

Polanco’s sizzling start isn’t likely to be sustainable considering he has an 1.242 OPS to complement a .389 batting average. But, he is just the most prominent example from a Mariners lineup that even with star Julio Rodríguez scuffling is more than holding its own.

Catcher Cal Raleigh is tied for the MLB lead in home runs with 10. The Mariners are pacing the majors in walks and stolen bases. Not bad for a club expected to be carried by its starting pitching.

There have been other solid individual performers, too, such as utilityman Dylan Moore — who was placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday — and shortstop J.P. Crawford.

There’s no debate, though, about who has been leading the charge for the Mariners. It’s Polanco by a wide margin.

“Just the consistency I think is the thing that’s amazing to me,” manager Dan Wilson said of Polanco. “Balls going out of the ballpark are great, but he’s just finding a barrel almost all the time. Just tells you a lot, that his timing is really good, as well as fastballs on the barrel.

“He’s just in a place where he’s seeing the ball really well.”

And in the process, the Mariners find themselves in the midst a surge. With their fifth win in six games, the Mariners now have a 17-12 record while sitting atop the American League West.

The Mariners will only increase their division lead should Polanco — who credited his success in part to some mechanical adjustments he made to his swing after being acquired from the Twins last January — keep turning in these kinds of performances.

It’s a big ask, no doubt. But Polanco isn’t letting all the success impact his process, nor does he intend to alter it.

“I think the approach to stay in the middle just helps you let the ball get a little bit deeper,” Polanco said. “I’m reacting with the pitches. Just kind of take that approach. I’m trying to go to the middle.”

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AP MLB: https://www.apnews.com/hub/MLB