Like a Stone

 

For the first 7 or so weeks of the season, the Mariners' rotation was one of the best in baseball. Bryce Miller, Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Emerson Hancock were all really solid options that went deep into games and held runs down. And the weird thing is, after that, Bryan Woo came off the IL, Hancock was sent down...and now the rotation is BETTER. So, like...the opposite of the Phillies after activating Taijuan Walker.

This is why the Mariners are in first. Not only do they have five really damned good starters taking the mound every night, but they have a closing pitcher who nobody can hit. Andres Munoz has a 1.42 ERA and 12 saves. So that's like...6 or 7 innings per game where you're absolutely screwed. Except if the Mariners outscore you by a ton, which doesn't happen terribly often but now that Julio's hot it's been happening more frequently. 

I think when the Mariners extended Luis Castillo they expected him to continue to be the centerpiece of the rotation, and...I dunno, I feel like this season's telling people he doesn't have to be. He's still been very good, he's got a 2.99 ERA and 81 Ks in 78 innings, but I feel like Logan Gilbert is still the staff ace. He's got the 1.004 WHIP, he doesn't give up home runs, he's the showier full-on starter. And yes, Castillo's still absolutely killing it, but it doesn't feel like the Reds days where he's trying to do so much of the work. He can have great starts and rest assured that someone's gonna bring it the following day. And even George Kirby, who has a 4.08 ERA, still has a 1.024 WHIP. 

It's also helped that Bryan Woo has been nothing short of incredible since being activated. In 5 games he's 2-0 with a 1.30 ERA and a 0.578 WHIP, and he's doing this with only 18 strikeouts. He's not overthrowing or going for full velocity, he's just being very controlled and not letting his pitches anywhere a guy can hit them. And with so many of these guys throwing smoke, it's a welcome addition to the fold. 

The Mariners are still squarely in first place, and all while the Astros begin to bobble back towards the middle. So the Ms have to feel pretty good about themselves. They're also beginning to see production from Ryan Bliss, who's got a great rookie story, and have Dylan Moore going crazy at the plate. The one thing they need to be careful about is the sudden rebound of the Rangers, now that they have some of their pitching back, but hopefully this team can hold on with the strength of the rotation.

Coming Tonight: A guy who 'human numbers' still mean a .300 average and a bazillion contact hits.