Seattle Mariners Struggling to Epic Proportions with Runners in Scoring Position
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Entering play on Sunday, the Seattle Mariners are a very disappointing 3-6. As the only franchise to never make the World Series, and without a division title since 2001, the pressure is high on the Mariners, even at the outset.
Frankly: Nothing the Mariners have done so far has been good enough. Their elite pitching hasn't been elite, with George Kirby on the shelf with injury and Bryce Miller struggling in both of his starts. The mid-level and back-end of the bullpen has been poor, forced to overextend itself as a result of fill-in starters going short for Kirby.
The defense, supposed to be a trademark for this team, has been shoddy, and the offense has remained extremely suspect.
However, above all else, the thing plaguing the Mariners is the inability to get the big hit. The M's are 7-for-58 with runners in scoring position (.121), which is the worst output in baseball. They have the 23rd-most at-bats with RISP, but again, the .121 average is paltry. The New York Mets at .162 are second-worst, and they are a full 40 points higher than the Mariners.
The M's will look to reverse their fortunes on Sunday afternoon when they close out a series with the San Francisco Giants. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. PT as Bryan Woo takes the mound against flamethrower Jordan Hicks.
Woo is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA through one start, having beaten the A's last Sunday. Hicks is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. He struck out six his first time out.
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