Mariners News

Cal Raleigh has thrown his name in the Home Run Derby and he’s making it a family affair. The Big Dumper announced today that he’ll participate in the derby on July 14 in Atlanta. He’ll be joined by his father, who will pitch to him in the event, and his brother, who is expected to catch.

Cal currently leads the majors with 32 home runs at 69 RBI. He’s the first catcher and first switch-hitter to reach 30 homers before the All-Star break.

No catcher has ever won the Derby, which began in 1985.

The Mariners are looking to get their offense back tonight for the start of their road series against the Texas Rangers. The M’s are coming off back-to-back losses to the Twins where they combined for just one run. It came in stark contrast to their previous five matches, where they combined for nearly 10 runs per game.

Seattle has fallen to 6.5 games behind the first-place Houston Astros in the AL West. Texas sits just 1.5 games behind the M’s, but Seattle has owned the season series so far. They’ve won five of their six games against the Rangers.

Coverage for tonight’s series-opener begins at 4:00 and first pitch is at 5:05 on KPUG with Logan Gilbert on the mound.

Bells News

The Bells are hitting the road tonight after losing yesterday’s rubber match to Wenatchee. The AppleSox beat the Bells 3-2 to trim Bellingham’s lead in the North Division to just half a game

The Sox hit a solo homer in the first inning before the Bells took the lead in the third on a sacrifice fly by Nate Kirkpatrick. But Wenatchee regained the lead in the sixth with an RBI single and held on to take the series win.

The Bells only have three games left in the first half of their season, where they could lock up a playoff spot by winning the North. They’ll look to get started in Kamloops tonight for the first game of their weekend series against the NorthPaws. First pitch is at 6:35.

Kraken News

The Kraken are on the clock tonight for the first day of the NHL Draft. They own the eighth overall pick for the second year in a row.

Seattle also has a pair of picks in the second round tomorrow.

The first round of the draft gets underway at 4:00.

Sounders News

The Sounders are back in regular season MLS play this weekend following a brief stint in the Club World Cup. They’re hosting Austin FC at 7:30 tomorrow night.

Both clubs currently sit in a four-way tie for fifth place in the Western Conference, so a win tomorrow would separate them in the standings.

The Sounders are looking to avoid a three-game losing streak.

Storm News

The Storm are wrapping up their homestand tonight against the league-worst Phoenix Mercury.

Seattle just had its three-game win streak snapped by the Indiana Fever on Tuesday. But tonight’s game is a great chance to get back on track against a Mercury squad that’s lost its last seven games.

They’ll tip it off at 7:00 from Climate Pledge.

Sonics News

Speaking of Climate Pledge, a Seattle sports icon is set to be honored there this weekend. Seattle SuperSonics legend Lenny Wilkens has a statue outside the arena that’s getting unveiled tomorrow morning.

The statue was created by Lou Cella, the same artist who crafted the statues of Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez at T-Mobile Park.

Wilkens made the All-Star game in three of his four years with the Sonics in the early 70’s. The Hall of Fame point guard also served as a player-coach for his final three seasons in Seattle before returning as a full-time coach in 1977. He went on to help the team win its first and only NBA championship in 1979.

Wilkens’ No. 19 jersey is one of six numbers retired by the Sonics.