Seattle Mariners go .500 before All-Star Break – 3 Stars of Week 15
Star #3 – Mitch Haniger
.318 avg, .966 OPS, 5 runs scored, 5 RBIs
Besides his grand slam that put Seattle over the top in the first game of the Angels series, Mitch Haniger played a significant role in their other two wins. Haniger has a 15 game on-base streak that includes reaching base via hit-by-pitch 3 times in the last 8 games.
His batting average bottomed out at .246 after the loss to the Rockies on June 24. Since then, his average is up to .257. His on-base percentage has increased by 17 points over the same period. This week Haniger hit his Mariners’ best, 20th homer this season. He leads the Mariners in several categories, extra-base hits (37), Home runs (20), RBIs (52), Runs Scored (58), OPS (.798), and Slugging Percentage (.487).
It’s nice to see a healthy Mitch Haniger hitting the ball well again. The Mariners have an interesting decision to make about Haniger with the trade deadline looming. He’s under Seattle control through the 2023 season, with two more seasons of arbitration. Haniger’s trade value might never be higher. The Mariners have depth in the outfield, but part of that would be putting up with Kelenic’s growing pains and bringing him back up from Tacoma. He could net a decent haul of talent or an impact starting pitcher, but we must assume that Haniger is on the trade block.
Star #2 – Chris Flexen
7 innings, 3 hits, 5 base runners allowed, 0 runs, 6 strikeouts
For the sixth consecutive start, Chris Flexen allowed 3 runs or less. Even better, he’s allowed a single run over his last two starts. Flexen was dominant against the Angels on Saturday, July 10, shutting out LAA through 7 innings before turning the game over to Steckenrider and Sewald. He was efficient about his business and threw only 95 pitches en route to his 8th win.
The Seattle Mariners have done well in Flexen’s starts this season, going 12-4 and 5-1 in his last six starts. The right-hander is undefeated (3-0) in those six starts. Additionally, his ERA dropped from 4.70 to 3.5. Only Kikuchi has a lower ERA with the Mariners, and Flexen now ranks 12th in the American League among qualified starters.
In his game against the Angels, which the M’s won 2-0, he featured more velocity, hitting 95 MPH with his fastball several times throughout the game. Flexen limited any damage Major League home run leader Shohei Ohtani could inflict by pitching to the edges of the zone against him. After walking Ohtani, who leads the majors with 33 home runs at the All-Star break, in the first, he got him to fly out to left-center in the fourth inning. This was after David Fletcher extended his hitting streak and ended Flexen’s no-hit bid. Flexen struck out Ohtani in the sixth inning and didn’t face the All-Star again. It was an impressive outing, but only one player was more outstanding for the Mariners this week.