The Mariners ended May on a high note, winning their last six games to propel into first place, but Rodriguez was solid for the entire month.
The Seattle Mariners enter play on Monday night on the heels of a six-game win streak that has seen them sweep both the Athletics and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
As a result, the M's are now 31-29 and in first place in the American League West by 2.5 games over the Athletics and Texas Rangers. With 102 games to go, the M's are seeking back-to-back American League West titles.
Part of the reason for the M's resurgent final week of May? The play of Julio Rodriguez. The star centerfielder hit three home runs last week as the M's swept the A's and Diamondbacks, and he hit an American League-best 10 for the month. That's the most home runs he's ever hit in any single month of his career.
As noted by the Mariners, Rodriguez's 10 homers led the AL in May, as did his 17 extra-base hits and his 69 total bases. His .590 slugging percentage was also second in the AL. His 124 OPS+ is in line with his career OPS+ of 129, proving that he's putting together the full season body of work that fans have been asking for.
If Rodriguez keeps this up, while staying healthy, he'll be in position to contend for his first MVP Award. Still just 25 years old, Rodriguez already has two top-six MVP finishes. He's also a three-time All-Star who is likely to earn his fourth trip to the midsummer classic. His performance has helped carry the lineup in the absence of Cal Raleigh and Brendan Donovan, who missed much of the month with injuries.
Rodriguez is hitting .263 with 12 homers, 30 RBIs and five stolen bases. His on-base percentage is just .319, which is below his career average of .330.
Up next
The Mariners will kick off a new series with the New York Mets on Monday night at 6:40 p.m. PT. The Mariners will send Emerson Hancock to the mound while the Mets counter with a bullpen game. The full pitching matchups are here.
The Mets are coming off a sweep of their own, having taken three games this weekend from the division rival Miami Marlins.
Also of note
A new episode of the 'Refuse to Lose Territory' podcast will come out on Tuesday morning, set to be released at 3 a.m. PT. The episodes are released each Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Thursday's show is the home of our weekly home of our exclusive Buster Olney interviews.
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