Mariners hang on in second place

The Mariners (18-17) continue to be tied with the Houston Astros for second place in the American League West. It was a disappointing week in which they lost two out of three games to both the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers. In the Orioles series, they were no-hit by Orioles’ ace John Means who improved to 4-0 on the season with a 1.37 ERA. The best game of the week had to be the 5-2 win over the Orioles, where Justin Dunn gave up only one run in 5 1/3 innings. Kyle Lewis and Kyle Seager both homered for Seattle. The Mariners bullpen continues to keep this team in contention. In 129.1 innings, they have a 10-6 record with ten saves and a 3.20 ERA. The starters over 173.1 innings are 8-11 with a 4.88 ERA and are giving up 1.4 home runs per nine innings, which is twice the bullpen rate.

This week’s schedule starts with a short two-game series at Los Angeles with the Dodgers, which will complete the season series. After a hot start, the Dodgers have come back to earth. The Dodgers have gone 4-9 in their last thirteen games since splitting a two-game series in Seattle. After the Dodger series, the Mariners return home this Thursday for a four-game series against the Cleveland Indians that will start the Jarred Kelenic era.

It looks like Jarred Kelenic will finally be called up to the majors. He is expected to be available for the start of the home series against Cleveland this Thursday. Kelenic is among the top prospects in baseball and should have started with the team out of spring training this year. In his limited time at triple-A Tacoma, his triple-slash line is .409/.458/.682. Kelenic homered twice in his first triple-A game and has had at least one hit in every game he has played. Expectations for the twenty-one-year-old Kelenic are probably the highest I’ve seen for any Mariners call up since Ken Griffey Jr.

A few teams, including the Dodgers, Giants, Padres, and Mariners, have created sections for fully vaccinated fans. Ticket holders will be required to show proof of their vaccination status. A negative COVID-19 test is required for anyone ages 2-15 years who are not vaccinated. The Mariners’ promotion starts this Thursday, May 13th, and continues until June 2. Other teams are expected to follow suit to increase the number of fans that can attend games under current restrictions. The Mets and Yankees are expected to announce similar sections.