Three stars of Seattle Mariners 6-1 Week 9
Star #3: Chris Flexen
7 innings pitched, 0 runs allowed, 3 hits, and 6 Ks
Righty Chris Flexen was efficient and in control from start to finish against the Rangers. His 5-0 victory was the first victory in Seattle’s four-game sweep.
He completed 7 innings using 87 pitches, 60 of which were strikes. That makes for a season-high strike percentage of 69. The seven shutout innings represented the first time since April 3 that Flexen held an opponent scoreless for his entire outing. The game also brought his ERA back down to 4.34 after San Diego blew him up on May 21st for eight runs.
The win pushed Flexen’s record to 5-2 in 2021, and his 1.9 walks per 9 innings lead all Mariners starters. Flexen’s journey from the Mets to the Korean Baseball Organization to the Mariners has been a lengthy one, but he’s showing that he belongs in a Major League rotation.
Pacing ourselves with the Flex puns, so…
Here is a Chris Flexen pitching reel. pic.twitter.com/v3Jqa6vMEI
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) May 28, 2021
Star #2: Ty France
.375 average, 9 hits, and 5 RBI.
Ty France returned from the injured list just in time to interject some much-needed offense into the Mariners line-up. Last week, France led Seattle in hits and RBI. The former Padres prospect played lots of first base in Week 9. He turned in a really nice week defensively for someone not known for his play in the field.
When France went on the IL, he was batting .229 and mired in a massive slump. His batting average dropped, or more accurately fell off a cliff, from his high of .325 on April 26th.
His nine hits this week moved his overall average up to .252. France went hitless only once but reached base in every game.
France’s return coincided with an improvement in Seattle’s offensive production. When he’s in the lineup, the M’s are 24-20 and 3-7 without him. He didn’t have much pop, two of his nine hits went for extra bases (doubles), so his overall OPS didn’t move much. Once France’s power returns, then the Mariners’ offense should take off as well.
An early lead in Seattle!
Ty France with an RBI double in the 1st, his 11th of the season! The @Mariners lead 1-0.#WHEREiROOT | #SeaUsRise pic.twitter.com/toQZya865s
— ROOT SPORTS™ | NW (@ROOTSPORTS_NW) May 30, 2021