Seattle Mariners 3 up, 3 down for week ending 4/23
Ed Stein
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A look at the Seattle Mariners best and worst performers for the week ending April 23.
Today we debut a new feature on Pacific Northwest Sports, Seattle Mariners 3 up, 3 down. It tracks those M’s who had a good week and those who had bad ones (Monday-Sunday).
This week the Seattle Mariners went 2-4 to bring their season record to 10-12, 4.5 games behind AL West-leading Texas. Their offense continues to struggle as they average 6.5 hits per game
3 up
Julio Rodriguez
Although he got off to a cold start, Julio Rodriguez is starting to warm up. It’s a good thing because the Seattle Mariners need him to lift the team again this year.
Last year’s American League Rookie of the Year had a nice week. J-Rod went 6-for-23 (.261) and had a .845 OPS with 3 RBI and 3 Walks. He was one of four Mariners, along with Jarred Kelenic, Eugenio Suarez, and Teoscar Hernandez, to hit a pair of home runs last week.
Justin Topa
What appeared to be a minor trade back in early January looks like a steal. Justin Topa is the next man in the Mariners recent line of unheralded relievers who turned their career around in Seattle.
Topa threw 3 innings over 3 appearances for the week without yielding an earned run. He only allowed 1 hit and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts.
His only blemish was allowing the ghost runner to score in the M’s 6-5, 11 inning loss to Milwaukee on Tuesday.
Paul Sewald
The Seattle Mariners won two games this week, and closer Paul Sewald saved both of them. He made 3 appearances, threw 3 innings, and gave up 1 run and 1 hit (a 9th inning solo home run to Tommy Edman that cut Seattle’s lead to 6-5).
Sewald had his slider working well, as shown by his 4 strikeouts and no walks.
3 Down
Cooper Hummel
Many M’s fans scratched their heads when the team traded former Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis to Arizona for Cooper Hummel. Yes, Lewis struggled in his comeback from a concussion, but the player they got in return hit .176 last year.
The Seattle Mariners must have seen enough of Hummel after he started the week 0-5. They demoted him and his .087 batting average to Tacoma.
Kolten Wong
Even a 3-for-4 performance on Sunday against St. Louis couldn’t save Kolten Wong from the downside. Despite the good hitting day, he still had a big fielding blunder when he dropped a double play ball that would have ended the fourth inning. Instead, the next batter, Nolan Gorman, put the Cards up for good with a three-run blast.
For the week, Wong went hitless in three of four games and ended up 3-for-14 with a .517 OBP, 3 strikeouts, and a walk.
Chris Flexen
Right now, it’s looking like the Mariners should have traded Chris Flexen when they had a chance this spring. He’s been awful so far in 2023 with an 0-4 record.
Seattle lost both games he started (April 17 vs. Milwaukee and April 23 vs. St. Louis. His stat line this week was 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA, 1.90 WHIP, .916 OPS against, 2 home runs allowed, 8 strikeouts, and 4 walks in 10 innings pitched.
Which Seattle Mariners players are on your 3 up, 3 down for last week?