Seattle Mariners go 2-4 but we still found three stars for Week 6 (5/3-9)
The Seattle Mariners went 2-4 last week with some embarrassing losses. There weren’t many stars, but we found a few.
It was a tough week for the Mariners. Not a lot went right against two of the teams expected to be the bottom feeders of the American League. The Mariners were also expected to be there as well, so it might not have been a surprising week for the “experts.”
When I started writing these articles, I knew there were going to be tough weeks. However, a stellar bullpen and some timely starting pitching, along with occasional clutch hitting, helped to keep the stars coming out. This week though, going 2-4 and being no-hit by the Orioles’ John Means showed fans how close the M’s are to being terrible, as did allowing 10 runs to the Rangers.
That means that this list of stars is going to be a bit different than in past weeks.
Honorable Mentions
Justin Dunn 5.1 Innings, 6 Ks, 1 ER
Justin Dunn didn’t get a win on the stat sheet, but he did enough to keep the Mariners in his start against Baltimore. Besides giving up a solo home run to Rio Ruiz, he managed to escape without damage from nearly every inning pitched. He had trouble with his control again, issuing four walks, but he pitched well enough for Seattle to win.
Yusei Kikuchi, 7 innings, 3 ER, 7 Strikeouts
Lost in the John Means no-hitter, Yusei Kikuchi threw an outstanding game. He only gave up five hits and a walk. While Kikuchi gave up three earned runs and was tagged with the loss, he pitched well. If the Mariners’ hitters could have done anything against the O’s that day, Kikuchi did enough to walk away with a win, throwing his 87 pitches in seven innings of work.
J.P. Crawford, .286 average, 1 HR
J.P. Crawford had a strong enough week at the plate that by week’s end, he was batting lead-off. He started the week at the end of the line-up and then moved up to bat fifth in the first game of the Texas series. By Sunday, Crawford was leading off. The M’s shortstop did most of his damage against the pitching-poor Rangers, but if he’s going to retain the lead-off spot, then he really needs to shine.