Few MLB teams are presumably as excited to see August arrive as the Seattle Mariners .
The alarming pattern that the Seattle Mariners are experiencing
The M’s had a terrible month in July. For the first time in more than two months, they lost 10 of their last 15 games after starting 5-4, went 1-7 in one-run games, and dropped two series to the lowly Los Angeles Angels, losing one of them and losing the series sweeping for the first time this season.
To top it all off, both shortstop J.P. Crawford and star center fielder Julio Rodríguez were placed on the injured list.
But the Mariners strengthened their roster at the trade deadline, and they head into August virtually tied for first place in the AL West with the Houston Astros. From the outset, though, they face a formidable opponent. The Philadelphia Phillies, who are leading the NL East and have the second-best record in MLB at 65-43, will be the opponents the Mariners play in their three-game home series to start the month.
As Seattle starts a two-month race for the AL West crown against one of baseball’s elite teams, here are three things to know:
The best starting staffs in baseball face off.
The Phillies and Mariners are regarded as the top teams in baseball this year. The data supports it.
In terms of fWAR, ERA, FIP, opponents’ batting average, WHIP, walks per nine innings, home runs per nine innings, innings pitched, and quality starts, both rotations are in the top five in the league. Here’s the current situation:
This weekend at T-Mobile Park looks to be a pitching clinic, but neither team will get to see the best of the other’s rotation.
Philadelphia has a number of injuries to cope with. Taijuan Walker, a former Marine, placed on the injured list in late June due to a strain in his right index finger. Due to Philadelphia’s abundance of starters, veteran right-hander Spencer Turnbull—who was transferred to the bullpen in May—suffered a right lat strain in his first start after taking Walker’s place in the starting rotation. Ranger Suárez, an All-Star left-hander, was recently placed on the disabled list due to severe back pain.
The Phillies do not have left-hander Cristopher Sánchez and former All-Star Aaron Nola set to throw.
The Mariners’ roster is still complete, but George Kirby and Luis Castillo will not be starting on the mound.
There are still a few excellent pitching matchups to look forward to, starting on Friday with Tyler Phillips (3-0, 1.80) and Bryan Woo (4-1, 2.35). Despite his limited starting experience, Phillips is coming off a four-hit shutout against Cleveland.
The main event is Sunday’s series finale, which features a matchup between All-Stars Logan Gilbert (6-7, 3.11) and Zack Wheeler (10-5, 2.94).
The Seattle Mariners are having a rough August.
The Mariners are facing more health problems than just the agonizing injuries to Crawford and Rodriguez described earlier.
Due to a persistent hip injury, standout outfielder Víctor Robles departed Tuesday’s game and did not return the following day. Not very promising was manager Scott Servais’ statement following Wednesday’s game in Boston.
“I wish it was as simple as a few days of downtime and it would go away,” Servais remarked. It seems like this is something he will have to deal with moving ahead. After that, we’ll see. We’ll observe his reaction.
Since joining the organization as a waiver acquisition, Robles has been on fire, and he is currently filling in for Rodríguez in center field. Robles has slashed 33 games with Seattle.360/.422/.520 with nine stolen bases and eight extra-base hits.
After hard-throwing reliever Gregory Santos left the game due to a bicep strain, Seattle’s bullpen is also in doubt. When the team returns to Seattle on Thursday, Santos was scheduled to have an MRI. Santos’ condition is expected to be updated on Friday.
The good news is that Rodríguez, who was placed on the injured list on July 23 due to a high right ankle sprain, is expected to return to the Mariners at some point during the homestand. On Thursday, outfielder Dom Canzone started his rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma.
The bad news is that Crawford’s fractured pinky will probably prevent him from playing until September.
mirroring the slide
We have discussed the challenging month of July for the Mariners. The Phillies’ experience wasn’t much better either. Philadelphia ended the month with a 3-9 run following the All-Star break, finished with an identical 10-14 record, and went 1-5 in one-run games.
The Phillies’ troubles were partly caused by their short-handed rotation, as their starters, who had been at the top of the standings or close to it the whole season, ended up in the middle of most categories and ranked 20th in ERA (4.64) in July. With a 6.17 ERA and 19 home runs allowed over 84 2/3 innings, Phillies relievers also had trouble.
At the trade deadline, they added White Sox left-hander Tanner Banks and outstanding Angels closer Carlos Estévez in an attempt to address the bullpen issues.
The timing of the Mariners’ occurrence against the Phillies may be advantageous, but the injured Mariners may have the opposite effect on Philadelphia.