The Mariners Starting Pitchers are on One Heck of a Roll
It’s no secret the Mariners pitching staff has been the backbone of their success. There has been a lot of praise for the performance of the bullpen, and rightfully so. They have been lights out in the second half, with a staff ERA of 2.78 (46 ER, 148.2 IP) which ranks 3rd in baseball, trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers (2.40) and the Cleveland Guardians (2.01).
But lately, the starting pitching has been flat out dominant. In fact, the last time a starter allowed more than 3 earned runs was on August 21 against the Oakland A’s. Since then, the Mariners have gotten quality starts in 12 out of the 15 games, including 6 games where the starting pitcher did not allow a run.
Since August 23, the Mariners starting pitchers lead baseball with a 1.61 ERA (16 ER, 89.2 IP). Over that span, the Mariners also rank among the leaders in wins (1st, 9), SO/BB ratio (1st, 8.30), WHIP (2nd, 0.88) and opponent OPS (2nd, .537).
Here is how each starter has performed over that span:
Luis Castillo — 3 GS, 1–0, 2.04 ERA, 22 SO
Aug. 27 vs. CLE: 6.0 IP, 4 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts, 1 home run allowed.
Sept. 2 at CLE: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO.
Sept. 7 vs. CWS: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO, 1 HR
Castillo has been the Mariners ace since being acquired from Cincinnati prior to the trade deadline.
Over his first 7 Mariners starts, he has struck out 51 batters, more than any other pitcher in franchise history through their first 7 starts with the club. 7 of those strikeouts were to begin the game on Sept. 7, which set a franchise record, and tied an American League record for the most strikeouts to begin a start.
Robbie Ray — 3 GS, 3–0, 0.46 ERA, 17 SO
Aug. 23 vs. WAS: 6.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO, 1 HR
Aug. 28 vs. CLE: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 SO
Sept. 3 at CLE: 6.0, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO
Ray has been everything the Mariners could have hoped for when they signed him to a 5-year contract last offseason. He is on pace to strike out 200 batters for the 2nd-consecutive season. Since Aug. 1, he has a 1.38 ERA (6 ER, 39.0 IP) with 44 strikeouts, and looks every bit of the pitcher that won the AL Cy Young award in 2021.
Logan Gilbert — 3 GS, 2–0, 0.98 ERA, 20 SO
Aug. 26 vs. CLE: 6.1 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
Sept. 1 at DET: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO
Sept. 6 vs. CWS: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 SO
Gilbert stormed out of the gates, winning the American League Pitcher of the Month in April. The 6-foot-6 right-hander struck out a career-high-tying 9 batters in each of his last two starts. Gilbert is finishing the year how he started it, and looks poised to be a big factor down the stretch and into October.
George Kirby — 3 GS, 1–0, 1.20 ERA, 16 SO
Aug. 24 vs. WAS: 7.0 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 SO
Aug. 30 at DET: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 SO
Sept. 4 at CLE: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO*
Kirby, the reigning AL Rookie of the Month, is set to become the first rookie pitcher in the Modern Era (since 1900) to have a SO/BB ratio of 7.0-or-more. His 7.79 SO/BB ratio currently ranks 2nd in the Majors (Min. 10 GS), trailing only NL Cy Young candidate Aaron Nola-PHI (8.33).
*Start was cut short due to a weather delay.
Marco Gonzales — 3 GS, 2–1, 3.32 ERA, 8 SO
Aug. 25 vs. CLE: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO
Aug. 31 at DET: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO
Sept. 5 vs. CWS: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 2 HR
Gonzales has been his usual steady self again this season, keeping the Mariners in the game every time he takes the mound. He is on pace to have his 4th-consecutive season with an ERA under 4.00.
Stats are through games finished on September 7, 2022.
