The Mariners are in the bottom of the major leagues in team ERA over their last 40 games.
SEATTLE — It seems like the clock is just about to strike "12" on the Seattle Mariners' season.
The Mariners dropped the first two of a four-game series against the Athletics, which has put the former seven games out of first place in the American League West and six games out of the final wild card spot in the American League entering Saturday. Seattle will play the A's in the third game of the series at 6:40 p.m. PT on Saturday at T-Mobile Park.
The Mariners had an early lead in both losses that was ultimately squandered by poor pitching performances, particularly by the starting rotation.
In Seattle's 7-6 loss against the Athletics on Friday, starting pitcher Logan Gilbert struck out 10 batters but issued two walks, threw a wild pitch and allowed seven earned runs on eight hits (four home runs) in 4.2 innings of work. All four home runs allowed by Gilbert came in a single inning.
Gilbert's Friday struggles is the first of a series of them over the past two months for the team's staff.
According to a post on "X" from Codify (@CodifyBaseball), the Mariners have the worst ERA in the major leagues (5.89) over their last 40 games. This season, Seattle has a total ERA of 4.22, which ranks 19th in the major leagues.
"It seems like different guys have gone through it at different times," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said in a pregame interview Saturday at T-Mobile Park. "That's always difficult. We talked a little bit about some of the bullpen guys and giving up home runs and it's been balls that have found the middle of the plate. Those are the ones that get hit. I think in terms of starters, not getting yourself into good counts, not attacking. Finding yourself behind in the count and having to give into hitters is a difficult place to pitch, and we've seen some of that. You could point your finger at a lot of reasons. But we need to make the adjustments."
The Mariners likely won't get significant help for the rest of the season. High-leverage reliever Matt Brash is currently shut down and will miss the rest of the year after an MRI revealed returned inflammation in his lat.
The M's pitchers' struggles this season came a year after Gilbert, George Kirby (who will start Saturday), Bryan Woo, Bryce Miller and Logan Evans all missed time due to respective injuries. The year before that, the rotation was the only one in baseball with at least four pitchers to start 30 or more games.
Seattle is an organization that, from the farm system to the major leagues, is built on its pitching. Whether the playoffs happen for the Mariners or not, if the staff can't end the season on a strong note, there will be lingering questions if Seattle can rely on its hurlers the same way it has over the last several seasons.
