The MLB season is soon nearing its annual all-star break. At this point, it’s important to see where the Mariners stand in terms of how likely they are to make the playoffs. They currently lead the American League West with a record of 52-46 and rank third among AL leaders in the wildcard behind the Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Guardians. With their current record, they have a PCT of .531 — slightly lower compared to other division leaders.
The Mariners overall performance so far into the season has been a series of multiple highs and lows.
They lead the league in the fewest number of hits (679), and they allowed the lowest OBA (.218) now according to ESPN. To add, there are other pitching stats that the Mariners currently excel at, such as walking the least amount of batters (234), placing first in WHIP (1.08) now, and third in earned runs (333) now – but still third in overall earned runs.
Although the pitching group has had a phenomenal first half this season, only Logan Gilbert was selected to participate in the all-star game on July 16.
As the season progresses, expect better success from the pitching group. Gregory Santos, who was acquired by the Mariners in February, made his debut on July 9 after coming off the injury list. The addition of Santos to the Mariner’s pitching core is critical, as he is a strong reliever for the team, J-Rod even remarked that Santos “brings a fire” to the game.
So if the pitching group has been successful and dominant in the season so far, why are things rocky for the Mariners?
The hardships and failures that the Mariners team have been experiencing can be attributed to their batting group, who have been widely criticized by sports critics and fans for their performance this season. At the bat, things look a bit concerning for Mariners fans as they rank last in batting average, 26 in runs scored, and 25 in OBP. To make the situation worse, they rank first with the most strikeouts (1,013).
Most members of the Mariners’ batting core are having a difficult time this season. Julio Rodriguez had a batting average of .247 with seven doubles and eight home runs in 372 plate appearances — all in his first 88 games. He’s only driven in 30 runs. Compared to last season where he hit .275 with 37 doubles and home runs, and two triplets. He also stole 37 bases in 47 attempts.
Other players have been experiencing the same losses:
- JP Crawford has a current batting average of .212, compared to last season, in which he had a solid 0.266.
- Mitch Garver currently has a batting average of .174. Last season he had a 0.270.
- Mitch Haniger, known for his power at bat, only has a batting average of .206 and eight home runs.
It’s evident that the batting group is having an off-season. However, it is the middle of the season, and baseball can be an unpredictable sport. It’s possible for the batting group to make improvements and have a change in performance. With the all-star break underway, let’s hope the Mariners can ease up for the next several days and regather themselves for the remainder of the season.
