Seattle Mariners Takes: Week 4 – M’s on the rise
It’s been four weeks, and the Seattle Mariners are playing much better than expected. Chris Phillips is back with his weekly Mariners takes.
We’re back with another M’s takes. The Seattle Mariners continue winning. Some fans wonder if this team is more like the 13-2 team from a couple of years back. It’s possible but not likely. The current edition of the M’s isn’t winning with “smoke and mirrors” and are playing a tougher schedule. Seattle is 13-9 and in second place, behind the supernova Oakland A’s.
Breaking down the M’s record
The Mariners are currently 6-5 against playoff teams from 2020; Chicago White Sox, L.A. Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, and Houston Astros. So, yeah, I’d say this team is legit. A mark of a good team is defeating teams they’re supposed to beat.
The M’s have also taken care of inferior teams. Further, they’ve won against teams that are on their level; San Francisco and Boston. Experts believe the Red Sox and Giants to be in a similar boat as the M’s.
Young and Old
The old man on this team, Kyle Seager, continues to thrive. He’s currently batting .247 with three home runs and a team-leading 19 RBI. He’s even chipped in a stolen base.
A notoriously slow starter, Seager is currently anything but. I worry that Seager did something similar last year and then went on a long cold spell. Hopefully, history doesn’t repeat itself. However, if he goes in a slump, there will be more than enough time for him to get out of the slump before the season ends.
Young guy Taylor Trammell continues to resemble a rookie. Arguably, he may currently be over his head a bit. Now batting .155 with three home runs, nine ribbies, and one stolen base, his OPS of .613 is over 140 points below Seager’s .760.
With Kyle Lewis’ return, Trammell has shifted back to left field. Trammell’s defense is still doing well. But when Kelenic comes up to the team, Trammell is likely headed for the minors.
Kyle comes in clutchđź‘Š
Kyle Seager drives in a run to give the @Mariners a 1-0 lead in the 1st inning! #SeaUsRise pic.twitter.com/SCc1ue16Rl
— ROOT SPORTS™ | NW (@ROOTSPORTS_NW) April 24, 2021
Down on the Farm
Speaking of call-ups. We are now well past the date for the M’s to gain an extra year of control over a player.
“Well…We’re waiting.” -Judge Smails (Caddyshack).
Recently GM Jerry Dipoto said the Mariners want Kelenic to get more at-bats against left-handed pitching at their alternate site. I’d venture a guess he gets his call up for the home series against the Angels, which is the end of next week.
The other big prospect is Logan Gilbert. Dipoto shared with M’s fans that when Gilbert gets called up, he’ll work a set number of innings per each appearance. We should see him closer to the end of the season. At that point, he’ll be in a normal starting pitchers’ groove. I’d expect Gilbert to operate as an opener or middle reliever.
Since Justin Dunn doesn’t seem to last very long into games, it’d make perfect sense for Gilbert to either open for or come in after Dunn.
Pitching
Mariners’ pitching has been really good. The teams’ current ERA is 3.89. Maybe most shockingly is the pitching by the bullpen, 2.27 ERA. Rafael Montero is nerve-racking for sure. While Kendall Graveman looks vicious out of the pen. Will Vest and Anthony Misiewicz have been pleasant surprises. Casey Sadler has been good as well. Keynan Middleton and Drew Steckenrider, not as much.
M’s fans need to enjoy this current bullpen success as the advanced metric FIP is not kind to most of the pen arms. Except for Graveman, Sadler, Misiewicz an Steckenrider. But FIP isn’t down on just the bullpen arms. It’s down on everyone in the current rotation, except for Chris Flexen. He should be even better than he currently is; 3.38 ERA and 2.91 FIP.
Speaking of Flexen, he continues to impress. He hurled seven innings, only allowing four hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts against the Red Sox. Flexen’s control was on point; 61 of his 88 total pitches went for strikes. While Boston’s pitching is poor, their hitting is still potent.
Return of the Meetch
After almost two years away, rightfielder Mitch Haniger is looking like his former All-Star self. Currently, he has a 292 batting average with a team-leading five home runs, 17 RBI, and a .892 OPS.
Related Story: Minor league baseball about to bin in the Pacific Northwest
That’s all for this week’s Mariners takes. What will next week bring us? Hopefully, it’s more victories for the ball club we all love.