Mariners Weekly Progress Report: Stuck in Neutral

Pitching: B-

James Paxton came back down to Earth. He could not get through five innings in Oakland, allowing five runs and nine hits while striking out eight. What is incredible is that his ERA is still only at 1.78.

The Marlins took the middle game of the series when they got to Yovani Gallardo for four runs in six innings. In Oakland, however, the pitching was mostly solid. In the last three games of that series, Mariners pitching only allowed eight runs.

The starter ERA has dropped to 15th in the league with a 3.89 ERA, after spending most of the first few weeks in the top 10. It was the bullpen that out-performed the starting rotation this week, as it did not allow a single earned run in the last three games of the Oakland series.

Dan Altavilla has been sent down and Chase De Jong replaced him. De Jong pitched a stellar four innings of one-hit ball in relief of Ariel Miranda’s tough outing in Saturday’s loss.

However, let’s not forget Miranda’s wonderful start in Monday’s 6-1 win against Miami. He went seven innings without allowing a run or walking anybody. There has been some marked improvement, but it needs to be consistent.