The Seattle Mariners have, by all accounts, a strong bullpen.
That was the case for 162 games during the regular season, at least.
The postseason, most specifically the AL Division Series against the Houston Astros, has been a different story.
Dependable guys like Paul Sewald and Andres Munoz haven’t been good, and Scott Servais‘ use of bullpen resources has also been less than ideal.
The unit is crumbling at the wrong time, in fact.
“The Mariners were 90-7 (.928) during the regular season this year when leading in the 6th inning or later, the second-best record by any MLB team in a non-shortened season in the last 30 years (2006 Twins, 96-6). They are now 0-2 in this series,” OptaSTATS tweeted.
The Mariners were 90-7 (.928) during the regular season this year when leading in the 6th inning or later, the second-best record by any MLB team in a non-shortened season in the last 30 years (2006 Twins, 96-6).
They are now 0-2 in this series.
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 14, 2022
Wow that has got to hurt.
The Mariners Could Have Been Up 2-0 Or At Least Tied
The fact that they could potentially be up 2-0 against the tough Astros and are instead 0-2 has to be haunting Mariners fans.
They hadn’t advanced to the playoffs since 2001, and they have had to endure two painful late-inning collapses thanks to Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, and their own shortcomings.
And when they finally decide not to pitch to Alvarez, Bregman made them pay with an RBI single in the eighth inning.
The Mariners bullpen isn’t as bad as they have performed in the ALDS, but it’s certainly not the same to face the Oakland Athletics, the Texas Rangers, or even the Los Angeles Angels as it is having to deal with Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, Bregman, Yuli Gurriel, Jeremy Pena, and Alvarez for several games in a row.
We wouldn’t say these pitchers are getting exposed because they are good, but it’s evident that the bar has been raised.
The silver lining for the M’s is that they are going home now.
But their backs are already against the wall.
NEXT: The Mariners Have 1 Final Plea To Fans