Streaky Seattle Mariners go 3-3 in Week 7, these are our 3 Stars
The Seattle Mariners broke out of a five-game funk to finish the week 3-3. Here are out three stars of a down and up Week 7.
What started off as an atrocious week, losing three straight, turned into an inspired effort to get back to one game above .500 for the season. The Seattle Mariners won the final three games of their four-game series with Cleveland and one of those games was all about Jarred Kelenic. However, while the rookie had a game for the ages, he didn’t earn his way into one of the three stars of the week. See who was the number one Star of the Week on page three. Let’s start with the Honorable Mentions.
Honorable Mention
Jarred Kelenic 3 games 0-for-14, 1 game 3-for-4, with two doubles and a home run.
Jarred Kelenic brought a lot of much-needed energy and confidence into the clubhouse. It was refreshing, to say the least. His effort on Friday Night against previously unbeaten Aaron Civale (5-0 at the time) inspired the team to a win. His infectious energy and confidence were on full display throughout the weekend and while he was unlucky a lot on Saturday and Sunday, he’ll get there.
Yusei Kikuchi 6.1 innings, 11 Ks
Yusei Kikuchi tied a career-high with 11 strikeouts against the Dodgers on Monday. He left the game with the lead intact. His cutter was particularly nasty on Tuesday, but it was his change-up that should get much of the credit. According to the website baseballsavant.com, Kikuchi’s change-up is the eighth-most unhittable pitch in the majors (on pitch types that have been thrown at least 50 times). Batters are hitting .105 with a whiff rate of 43 percent.
Justus Sheffield 6 innings, 2 Earned Runs, 2 Ks
Not a lot of strikeouts, but definitely an effective outing for Justus Sheffield. The lefty threw only 94 pitches and avoided trouble until the 6th inning on Saturday. By then, the Mariners built up a four-run lead. Sheff did everything he needed to do to secure the win when he left the game.
Chris Flexen 5.1 innings, 1 Earned Run
Although other players probably deserved to be on the honorable mention list, we salute Chris Flexen. He’s been a mainstay in these weekly articles because of his consistency. After the win on Friday against the Indians, Flexen’s record improved to 4-1, with a 3.46 ERA. While he doesn’t have a ton of strikeouts, Flexen doesn’t give up hard contact either and exhibited good command of his pitches. All of that was needed as he stopped the M’s five-game losing streak with 5.1 solid innings versus Cleveland.