Seattle Mariners News: Starters on Fire in 2014
By Todd Pheifer
Apr 3, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Roenis Elias (29) pitches the ball against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
The Seattle Mariners are off to a hot start in 2014, and even though it is very early, there is reason for optimism. Who knows? This team might actually be good.
Much of the attention has been focused on the offense, and for good reason. Robinson Cano has been doing what he was paid a lot of money to do. Justin Smoak is on an early tear and the Mariners are getting solid production from Dustin Ackley, Abraham Almonte and Mike Zunino.
After several seasons of poor hitting, it is exciting to see a team like the Mariners come out and throttle the Los Angeles Angels on the road. Winning is just more fun.
The offense has been a major part of the early success, but the starting pitching has also been sensational. Roenis Elias failed to get a fourth-straight win for the starters, but he pitched well enough in his debut to earn a victory. Elias was seen as a possible risk going into the season, but he has a fantastic debut.
These numbers are pretty impressive:
Felix Hernandez: 6 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 11 SO, 1 W
Erasmo Ramirez: 7 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 6 SO, 0 W
James Paxton: 7 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 9 SO, 2 W
Roenis Elias: 5 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 3 SO, 3 W
This is only one start for the Seattle rotation, but it is a great way to start the year and we haven’t even seen Hisashi Iwakuma and Taijuan Walker take the mound. If anything, the Mariners could have a “good” problem of too many quality starters.
You’re up, Chris Young. Keep the momentum moving forward.