The Mariners beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-2 this afternoon to end their homestand with a series win.

It came from a crucial four-run fifth inning where Victor Robles and Julio Rodriguez each hit 2-run homers.

In the eighth inning, Randy Arozarena added his second home run in as many games against his former team.

Luis Castillo gave up two runs through five and two-thirds innings to earn the win.

J.P. Crawford scored a run in his return to Seattle after being sidelined for over a month with a fractured pinky.

The team’s announcement to reactivate Crawford today came as they sent outfielder Dominic Canzone down to Triple-A Tacoma.

The Mariners have won four of their six games with Dan Wilson at the helm following Scott Servais’ firing.

They have the day off tomorrow before traveling to LA for a weekend series against the Angels.

 

Some positive outlook for Seahawks fans on the defensive side of the ball.

Outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu was among the names listed on the team’s official 53-man roster yesterday.

That’s noteworthy because Nwosu was injured in Saturday’s preseason game against the Browns and the team said it expected him to miss between two and six weeks.

But by including him on their official roster, the implication is that he won’t miss more than three games.

Key offensive tackle Abraham Lucas was a notable omission from the roster.

He was placed on the “physically unable to perform” list, which means he’ll miss at least the first four games of the season.

 

Meanwhile, a Seahawks’ division rival also had a notable player missing from their roster.

The San Francisco 49ers left All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams on the “did not report” list yesterday.

Williams has held out for their entire training camp as part of an ongoing contract dispute.

The Niners were 12-3 when he played last season and 0-2 without him.

Two critical defenders – Dre Greenlaw and Kalia Davis – were left off the roster as well and will miss at least four games.

Star receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who is still negotiating a deal with San Francisco, remained on their roster.

 

Russell Wilson will start at quarterback in Pittsburgh’s season opener.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin made the announcement today after weeks of national debate over who should start between Russ and former Bears QB Justin Fields.

Wilson, who signed a one-year deal with the Steelers in March, sat out for most of training camp with a calf injury.

The former Seahawks QB will make his black and gold regular season debut in Atlanta on Sunday, Sept. 8.

 

Western Washington University’s fall sports teams continue to gather respect around the conference.

The Vikings’ women’s soccer team was just selected as the favorite to win the GNAC in the preseason coaches poll.

In a vote of the conference’s eight head coaches, the Viks received 59 points and three first-place votes to edge out defending champion Seattle Pacific, which had 55 points and as many first-place votes.

Western is coming off a successful season where they narrowly missed a spot in the NCAA postseason after falling in the GNAC tournament title game.

They open their season next Thursday, Sept. 5, at home for MSU Denver.