Seattle Mariners Manager Dan Wilson Praises Reliever Eduard Bazardo
In this story:
SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners bullpen has been the most chaotic unit on the roster this season. Amid injuries to the starting rotation and the bullpen's own ailments and various inconsistencies, the relievers have been near the top of baseball in innings pitched for most of the season. The bullpen entered Tuesday 10th in the majors in innings pitched (219.2). This makes what Eduard Bazardo has been able to do more impressive.
The fifth-year pitcher has been used in a myriad of different situations for Seattle this season. He's been a high-leverage pitcher, a bridge to closer Andres Munoz, a multi-inning reliever, the last arm up in extra innings, the first arm up after a starting pitcher is pulled early and everything in between.
Bazardo has allowed one earned run in his last six outings on four hits (one home run) entering Tuesday. He pitched scoreless innings in a 9-1 win against the Washington Nationals on May 27 and a 2-1 win against the Minnesota Twins on June 1. His appearance against the Twins was his 24th of the year — a single-season career-high.
"Bazardo's throwing the ball very well," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said in a pregame interview Tuesday. "Had to throw some high leverage situations in the last couple of ball games and he threw it extremely well. ... We saw a lot of that last year toward the end (of the season), as well. ... I think you see that with a lot of guys. They come and they begin to understand the philosophy and the way in which we approach pitching, which is attacking the zone. I think it's pretty apparent right away when you get ahead, you're in a much better position to get outs. Some guys really respond to that."
Eduard Bazardo had an xERA of 2.43 and FIP of 2.70 in 2024.
— Kick Dirt Baseball (@KickDirtBB) January 25, 2025
Steamer projections have him at 50 IP with a 3.69 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in ‘25.
Sinker x Slider Overlay pic.twitter.com/xJvsLSwFsR
Bazardo has a 3.77 ERA this season with 24 strikeouts in 28.2 innings pitched across his 24 appearances. He posted a 4.76 ERA in April, but improved in May and finished with a 3.00 ERA for the month.
Related Stories on Seattle Mariners
MARINERS MANAGER DISCUSSES FACING INTRIGUING ROOKIE PITCHER: The Mariners will open the final leg of their nine-game homestand against one of the most unique first-year pitchers in baseball, Tomoyuki Sugano. CLICK HERE
TOP MARINERS EXEC REAFFIRMS TEAM'S STANCE ON HARRY FORD: Mariners fans have clamored for a position change in order to fast track the top 100 prospect to the big leagues. CLICK HERE
MARINERS LEGEND RANDY JOHNSON DISCUSSES SHARED LEGACY WITH ICHIRO SUZUKI: While discussing his future jersey retirement, the multi-time Cy Young winner talked about the connection he had with Suzuki. CLICK HERE
Follow Seattle Mariners on SI on social media
Continue to follow our Inside the Mariners coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following Teren Kowatsch and Brady Farkas on "X" @Teren_Kowatsch and @RefuseToLosePod. You can subscribe to the "Refuse to Lose" podcast by clicking HERE.
