Seattle Mariners go .500 before All-Star Break – 3 Stars of Week 15
The Seattle Mariners went 3-3, including 2-of-3 from AL West rival Anaheim Los Angeles. Here are the M’s 3 Stars of Week 15.
Last week the Seattle Mariners played even baseball, splitting their six games. Overshadowing their break-even week was two interesting news items. It appears that after the All-Star Break, the M’s will move from a six-man starting rotation to a more standard five-man rotation.
The other item was the arrival of catching prospect Cal Raleigh ahead of Sunday’s game. He went the route of most other Mariners’ highly-touted prospects going 0-4 with a couple of strikeouts. Raleigh Joined Jarred Kelenic and Taylor Trammell by going hitless in his debut. His call-up was significant because the Mariners already have two healthy catchers in a really strong platoon situation. Adding Raleigh to the roster could lead to a position switch from one of the catchers or more DH time for Torrens, Murphy, or even Raleigh.
Honorable Mentions
Luis Torrens – .333 avg in 5 games, hit safely in 7 of his last 8 games
Not a big power week for Luis Torrens, but it was significant toward improving his overall offense. The catcher walked as many times as he struck out (4), and he managed to be a big part of producing the offense needed to win on Saturday. In addition, Torrens should benefit offensively from the arrival of Raleigh as he might spend more time at DH, which puts less strain on his lower body.
Paul Sewald – 3 scoreless appearances, 1 baserunner allowed, 13 consecutive scoreless outings
Paul Sewald has been absolutely brilliant this season. Last week was no exception. He continues to impress as he kept the Mariners in back-to-back games and earned a save on Saturday. In his 13 consecutive scoreless appearances, he has only allowed 5 base runners and 3 hits total. As if that’s not impressive enough, the Mariners are 12-1 in those appearances and 19-6 overall when Sewald pitches this season.
Drew Steckenrider – 3 scoreless appearances, 1 baserunner allowed, 7 strikeouts
The combination of Sewald, Drew Steckenrider, and Kendall Graveman has been absolutely clutch since the trio became the Mariners’ set-up, set-up, closer combination. Steckenrider was incredibly dominant this past week as he struck out 7 in 3 innings pitched. The Mariners are 10-1 in the last 11 games that Steckenrider pitched. The righty earned a win and two saves over the same period.