Seattle Mariners: Making sense of the M’s 5-5 Start
How do you measure success for the rest of the homestand?
The Mariners just took two of three from Houston against their fifth, first, and second pitchers. M’s fans would take that in any series. Do I wish our road trip had gone better? Yes, but 3-4 on the road against Minnesota (a team that should contend) and the White Sox (definite contenders) are great.
It’s what the M’s do over the next six games against Texas and Kansas City that will show where they are this season. These are critical games against teams they should win.
If the Seattle Mariners do worse than 4-2 against Texas and Kansas City, then there’s cause for concern. They should be able to take advantage of the league’s worst pitching team (Texas, 6.19 ERA) and the fourth-worst (Kansas City, 5.13 ERA) this week. Bringing home runners in scoring position for the Mariners has to be more like what they did at home than what they did on the road.
Seattle’s run differential is +4 early in the season. Much of that is because the Mariners have the sixth-best pitching staff in the majors (3.14 ERA). This includes the sixth-best bullpen (2.48) and a starting staff that averages 5.31 innings per outing.
Or, as I like to call it, #2 in MLB, #1 in the AL. Only the Mets, San Francisco, and San Diego average more than five innings per start.