A notable MLB insider believes the Seattle Mariners will do their best to try and bolster their batting order for the second half, however, he believes even if they don’t they still have a team that would be a nightmare for the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles.
Heading into the MLB games today, the Mariners are one of the hottest teams in baseball. They have won seven of their last eight, and have a dominant nine-game lead over American League West powerhouses the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros. It has been a fantastic last month for the M’s.
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However, for as good as they are they could be better, specifically in their batting order. While Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh are solid threats in the lineup, the Mariners batters don’t strike fear in opposing teams like their pitching staff.
There has been speculation about potential trades they could make for the July 30 MLB trade deadline, including a blockbuster for New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso. However, USA Today MLB insider Bob Nightengale believes that even if they don’t land an impact hitter on the trade block, teams around the AL are very worried about facing Seattle in the postseason.
“They’re scary because of that pitching,” Nightengale told Sportsnaut recently. “Remember when the Astros won the World Series a couple of years ago, they could have lost those three games easily to the Seattle Mariners. Nobody wants to play the Seattle Mariners.
“I don’t care if it’s the Yankees or Orioles, that’s a nightmare because if those guys line up and go lights out you’re done. It’s about pitching and defense in the playoffs. It’s not about who scores the most runs because those offenses get shut down.”
The series Nightengale referenced was the 2022 AL Division series. The Astros swept Seattle in three games, however, they only outscored them by a combined four runs in those games.
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The Mariners pitching staff is even better this season. Only one of their starters has an ERA over 4.00, and four of them average eight or more strikeouts per nine innings. Two of their starters, Luis Castillo and Logan Gilbert, are among the top three in quality starts. Both men are also top 10 in innings pitched and top 15 in the league in strikeouts.
The Seattle staff is third in ERA, first in WHIP, and second in opponent batting average.
