The Mariners Win on the Field, Lose Off it

By: Mahal Domingo-Anderson

Looking from the surface, the Seattle Mariners had their second straight week of success, going 4-2 against last year's World Series teams. Starting pitching continued to dominate. This week, they dominated two of the elite lineups in the game in Texas and Arizona. Other than a tough start for Bryce Miller during the second game in Texas, the Mariners starters were lights out. When George Kirby strolled to the mound on Saturday evening under the lights of T-Mobile Park, not one person knew what was in store for the Diamondbacks lineup. 7 innings and 12 strikeouts later, Kirby left the game with a 3-0 lead. A new career high in strikeouts of 12 was just the surface number needed to understand the reign of terror that Diamondbacks hitters faced. Kirby produced 23 whiffs and was topped out at 99 miles an hour with his 4-seam fastball. Following the game, Kirby received praise from every corner you looked around. A tweet from Rob Friedman, also known as Pitching Ninja, claimed that “George Kirby is arguable the best command pitcher of all time.” And yes, Friedman was including Greg Maddux. Friedman backed up this claim with some eye-popping statistics. One of them stated that Kirby has the lowest BB/9 of any pitcher since 1950, with at least 50 career strikeouts and 30 career innings. Unbelievably, Kirby has 343 strikeouts and 353 innings pitched in his career, which has led him to that record BB/9 of 1.1. This stat expresses Kirby’s elite command, showing that he walks a batter 1.1 times every nine innings.

Unfortunately, the week wasn’t entirely full of happy days in Mariners Land, as Eugenio Suarez's return was on Friday night. From Ty France and Julio Rodriguez before the game to the crowd while in the on-deck circle and Cal Raleigh at the dish, Suarez went around the field giving bear hugs to everyone. Unfortunately, Matt Brash and J.P. Crawford needed a bear hug more than the rest. J.P. Crawford was scratched prior to Wednesday evening's game in Texas with a sore oblique. This Oblique would get tests and scans that night that showed a Grade 1 Oblique Strain. An oblique strain is a common injury for baseball players, as it often happens from overstretching through swinging or throwing. Crawford is lucky to only be dealing with a Grade 1, as Obliques can insert themselves as a burden through your daily life. Usually, for ballplayers, this injury will take around a month to heal, so Mariners Fans should prepare not to see their beloved shortstop until at least the beginning of June. The Mariners needed somebody to recreate the magic with J.P. out of the lead-off spot. Josh Rojas created magic and more. Two lead-off home runs against his former club over the weekend led Rojas to a 191 WRC+ in a fantastic first week in J.P.’s place. The Mariners will continue to call upon Rojas in the leadoff spot against right-handed starters; however, expect one Julio Rodriguez to lead off against southpaw starters. 

J.P. Crawford was not the only Mariner to go down over the past week; Mariners high-leverage reliever Matt Brash also has been shut down. Just as Brash was nearing a return from elbow soreness in spring training, the elbow acted up again. GM Justin Hollander said in a press conference following the unfortunate injury that Brash had struggled in days following high-intense pitches and reportedly said that after a final bullpen before beginning a rehab, every pitch felt awful. This is a bad sign as the Mariners have wished upon a star that one of their big relievers in the back of the pen would return, and the pen would be shut down and one of the best ever. Brash will reportedly see a doctor to learn next steps, but people are expecting the worst. With Brash down for an extended period of time, the Mariners will shift their prayers to also injured reliever Gregory Santos, whom Seattle traded for this offseason.

Overall, this past week has had great moments and play on the field. However, off the field, the Mariners have had a brutal week with two injuries to crucial pieces of the puzzle. If the Mariners can mend and replace the production lost, Mariners Land could be in for joyous times.