Seattle Mariners Pitchers Struggle in Spring
Spring Training has Not Been Kind to Seattle Mariners Pitching Staff
Mar 30, 2009
2008 turned out to be a terrible season for the Seattle Mariners, making them the first team to ever lose 100 or more games and pay out salaries of more than $100 million in the same year. They had gone into the season with the thought that it would be a playoff year, and with the acquisition of starting pitcher Erik Bedard from the Baltimore Orioles the Mariners seemed to have a really good pitching staff on paper. It never came to fruition though, as the Mariners turned in the second worst record in Major League Baseball, and easily became one of the most disappointing teams of 2008.
The 2009 Seattle Mariners
Rather than tear down the team and re-build it from the ground up, the Mariners went out and got a new manager, and then traded away closer J.J. Putz. Outside of that, there was very little movement by the team in regards to pitching, and the Mariners will go into the 2009 season with roughly the same starting staff that entered the 2008 season. It's a questionable move to say the least, but management has really been hoping that some of the pitchers really come through in the end. Though spring training still has a few games to go, it looks like the Mariners may have decided upon a staff.
Seattle Mariner Starting Pitchers
The Mariners starting rotation will look very familiar to Mariner fans, as Felix Hernandez will get the #1 spot and comes with the hope that he will return to ace status. He will be followed in the rotation by left-hander Erik Bedard, Jarrod Washburn, Carlos Silva, and Ryan Rowland-Smith. The decision was made early in spring training that Brandon Murrow would go back to the bullpen, and he should start opening day as the closer for the team. The problem with the starting pitching is that nobody had superb "stuff" in 2008, and they all come into the 2009 season with a lot of question marks surrounding their abilities.
2009 Spring Training Performances
Spring training has not been kind to the Seattle Mariners starting pitching at all. In fact, it has been flat out disastrous for several of their key pitchers. Leading the way (if you can call it that) was Erik Bedard with 5 games started and a 5.56 ERA over 11.1 innings. Hernandez posted a 10.13 ERA in his first two starts over 8 innings pitched, and Washburn was given 6 starts to compile a 6.12 ERA over 25 innings. Rounding out the squad, Silva posted a 16.89 ERA in two starts, Rowland-Smith posted an ERA of 8.00 in 4 starts, and Brandon Morrow posted a 15.00 ERA in a single spring start.
2009 Seattle Mariners Outlook
The Seattle Mariners really look like they have their work cut-out for them in the 2009 season, as the starting pitching will come in with alleviated expectations. The starters will have to improve a lot in both pitch counts and their abilities to go deeper into games if they want any shot at being competitive this season. The small bright spot is that their bullpen is pretty decent with Brandon Murrow anchoring it, and Miguel Batista and Roy Corcoran serving as middle relievers. The question will be whether or not they have the lead when the bullpen gets a chance, and whether their will be any fans left in the stands if they do not.
2009 Prediction
The Mariners starting pitching has the talent to do well, but if they don’t pull it together quickly, the Mariners are going to remain in the cellar for the American League West.
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