Five key questions the Mariners face down the stretch

With less than two months remaining, the marathon that is the MLB season is turning into a sprint for the postseason, and the Seattle Mariners are right in the thick of it.

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It’s shaping up to be a tight race to the finish line for the M’s. They entered Wednesday leading the Houston Astros by one-half game for first place in the American League West with 48 games remaining on their schedule (Houston has 49).

Let’s break down five questions the Mariners are facing as they attempt to win their first division pennant in 23 years.

Were deadline moves enough to bolster offense?

Considering who was actually traded by the time the dust settled at the deadline, the Mariners did as well as just about any team. They acquired possibly the biggest bat dealt in left fielder Randy Arozarena, a veteran hitter with a lengthy track record of success in first baseman/designated hitter Justin Turner, a high-leverage arm in Yimi García and a solid middle-innings reliever in JT Chargois.

Arozarena and Turner addressed some of the biggest needs for what’s been a woeful offense, and García and Chargois solidify a bullpen that’s been mostly good but shaky at times without standout Matt Brash to assist shutdown closer Andrés Muñoz.

It’s a pretty solid haul, but it’s hard not to feel like Seattle came out of the deadline a bat short of truly pushing itself from division-title hopeful to clear AL West favorite, even with the breakout performance of Víctor Robles and past month of a much better Jorge Polanco.

How much will J-Rod and J.P. contribute?

The M’s need for offensive help has been further compounded by the injuries to star center fielder Julio Rodríguez and shortstop J.P. Crawford, who made up the top two spots in Seattle’s lineup for much of the season.

It’s been clear since soon after the injury that Crawford was facing a four-to-six-week timeframe and likely wouldn’t return until September due to a fractured right pinky. However, there was hope Rodríguez would be back from a high right ankle sprain as soon as his 10-day minimum on the injured list was over.

Rodríguez was eligible to be reinstated when the current homestand started last Friday, but he remains sidelined. The 23-year-old took swings before Tuesday’s game, but isn’t quite ready to run or make cuts in the field at full speed. The team also hasn’t given a timetable for his return.

Losing Crawford hurts, but feels manageable due to his poor performance before going on the IL. Losing Rodríguez for too much longer could be devastating for Seattle’s division title aspirations. He was heating up before the injury, and the Mariners could really use a second rendition of his August from a season ago.

Will the Seattle Mariners’ pitching staff hold up?

The Mariners have been carried by the best starting rotation in baseball this season.

Seattle entered Wednesday ranked first in MLB in starter ERA (3.29), FIP (3.48), WHIP (1.04), quality starts (69), opponent’s batting average (.223) and walk rate (4.9%). It also led the league in innings pitched by starters at 664 innings.

After what happened in September last season, it’s fair to wonder whether or not the starters can keep their dominance going until the end of the season. The Mariners’ staff entered that month with baseball’s third-best ERA (3.78) and third-most innings pitched (750 1/3) amongst starters, but a 4.47 ERA the rest of the way played a major factor in the team’s inability to make the playoffs for a second straight year.

George Kirby was the lone starter that didn’t falter down the stretch, as the remaining four starters all posted an ERA above 4.00. It doesn’t seem like Seattle has the offense to overcome a late dip by its pitching this year, either.

Will lack of left-handed pitching be a problem?

Seattle proved that a team doesn’t necessarily need shutdown left-handed pitchers to make it to the postseason in 2022, when they reached the ALDS with starter Robbie Ray as the only lefty on the postseason roster. Rather than trying to force another left-hander on the staff, the Mariners relied on right-handers with reverse splits like reliever Erik Swanson to get lefties out in high-leverage situations.

The Mariners are in a somewhat similar situation this year, although they have one left-handed reliever and no left-handed starters. That actually may be worse, especially if they make the playoffs and run into a team with an array of good left-handed hitters like the Cleveland Guardians.

Left-handers are hitting 26 points higher and slugging 63 points higher than righties against Seattle pitching this season, and the Mariners’ struggles against lefties are coming from most of team’s usually reliable starters.

Luis Castillo is allowing an .815 OPS against lefties compared to .557 against righties. Bryce Miller has allowed 12 home runs against left-handers compared to just four against right-handers. Lefties also have an OPS over 200 points higher than righties against Bryan Woo (.630 to .428) and over 100 points higher against Kirby (.681 to .559).

Additionally, lefty reliever Tayler Saucedo has struggled of late, and fellow left-hander Gabe Speier has been either injured or ineffective since May, which led to his demotion to Triple-A on July 30.

Will somebody step up and be the missing bat?

The Mariners falling a bat short at the trade deadline was mentioned above. At this point, that bat will need to come in the form of someone currently in the organization stepping up.

Ideally, that would be veteran catcher Mitch Garver, who’s been mired in a season-long slump. But a turnaround from the 33-year-old seems less likely as each day passes.

Perhaps it could be Dominic Canzone. The left-handed outfielder is on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma right now, but could also end up being the odd man out in the outfield after Rodríguez returns.

Or maybe Dylan Moore or Josh Rojas can recapture the offensive grooves they were in earlier this season. Both figure to get plenty of playing time in the next two months.

Regardless of who it is, one or more of the players above providing an offensive spark could be a real difference-maker.

More on the Seattle Mariners

• State of the Race: Why Mariners clearly have the edge in AL West
• The ‘animated’ Víctor Robles has been Mariners’ biggest pickup
• The impact Justin Turner can provide Mariners goes beyond his bat
• The Seattle Mariners’ No. 1 prospect has landed in Everett
• How real is Seattle Mariners’ offensive surge since deadline adds?

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