Seattle Mariners 3 up, 3 down for week ending 4/30
Ed Stein
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A look at the Seattle Mariners best and worst performers for the week ending April 30.
We continue our weekly 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 Mariners struggled on their eastern swing. They went 2-4 again to bring their season record to 12-16, 5.0 games behind AL West-leading Texas. Seattle’s offense continues to struggle as they hit .200 as a team.
3 up
Cal Raleigh
In a week that the Seattle Mariners struggled so mightily at the plate, Cal Raleigh was their lone bright spot. The Big Dumper went 5-for-21, with 3 home runs and 6 RBI. His slash line for the week was .263/.333/.842/1.177.
The M’s needed his production during Sunday’s 10-8 come-from-behind win in Toronto. He was 2-for-4; both hits were home runs, with 3 runs scored and 4 RBI.
George Kirby
In his lone start of the week, George Kirby was lights out. He threw a complete game 4-hitter last Thursday.
Kirby only gave up a single run with 9 strikeouts and 2 walks. Unfortunately, the Mariners offense let him down. They only managed 3 hits against five different Philadelphia pitchers in a 1-0 loss.
Easton McGee
After learning Robbie Ray was done for the season with a flexor tendon injury, the Seattle Mariners called up Easton McGee from Tacoma to take his place. The rookie responded better than anyone could have thought.
In his Big League debut Saturday, McGee retired the first dozen batters he faced and didn’t allow a hit until there were two outs in the seventh inning.
This one hurt twice as much as Kirby’s start. Not only did the Mariners lose 1-0 in 10 innings, McGee also would up on the injured list with a strained forearm.
3 Down
Ty France
Ty France is mired in a horrible slump. Since April 14, the Seattle Mariners best hitter is 5-for-46 (.109). This week was the coup de gras.
In 6 games, he went hitless in 16 at bats. As a sign of France’s struggles, he also struck out 5 times (31.25%). That’s unusual for him as France’s career strikeout rate is 19.49%.
Teoscar Hernandez
The good news is Teoscar Hernandez wasn’t as bad as France was. The bad news is not by much.
Hernandez went 2-for-24 (.089) over 6 starts. Those 2 hits were both home runs but only drove in 3 runs.
His lack of run production is concerning. Manager Scott Servais uses him in the four and five holes reserved for hitters who can bring baserunners home.
Part of the problem was the hitters ahead of him not reaching base. A bigger issue was his alarming 45.83% strikeout rate last week.
Marco Gonzales
One of the reasons why the Mariners had to come back on Sunday was because Marco Gonzales got shelled. He lasted only 3 innings, yielding 8 runs (5 earned) with 8 hits and a walk.
Which Seattle Mariners players are on your 3 up, 3 down for last week?