After a disappointing 100-loss campaign last season, the Seattle Mariners decided to make some off-season moves to retool the roster. JJ Putz, Raul Ibanez, and Willie Bloomquist are all out while Endy Chavez, Franklin Gutierrez, Russell Branyan, and Mike Sweeney are in. Last season, the M's offense ranked 26th in total runs, but this season they currently rank 18th, largely due to some timely hitting by the new faces.
The biggest reason for the Mariner's unexpected success is the effectiveness of the pitching staff. The Mariner's team ERA is 2.95, the best mark in all of baseball. Felix Hernandez is slowly starting to live up to the expectations that have surrounded him since he broke into the big leagues. Eric Bedard is in the form he was in 2007, when he was one of the premiere pitchers in the AL. However, the biggest surprise on the pitching staff is Jarrod Washburn. Washburn, who struggled last year, is off to a blazing 3-0 start with a 1.71 ERA. Brandon Morrow has stepped into the closer role well, going 5/5 on his save opportunites so far.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment