Passan: The one thing that makes Mariners’ rotation phenomenal

Aug 27, 2024, 2:50 PM | Updated: 2:56 pm

Seattle Sports

The biggest reason the Seattle Mariners remain in the playoff race is no secret – it’s their starting rotation.

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Seattle has a comfortable lead for the best team ERA this year in MLB at 3.51, well ahead of the No. 2 team, the Atlanta Braves (3.65). The rotation has the biggest hand in that, as the Mariners’ starters have a combined 3.33 ERA, which again is well ahead of the second-best team – this time being the Philadelphia Phillies (3.51).

The Mariners’ starters also lead baseball in innings pitched (769 2/3), opposing batting average (.224) and WHIP (1.04). And it’s part of the equation to that last stat that jumps out to ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan.

“I mean, they just do not walk anyone,” Passan said Tuesday during his weekly conversation with Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

WHIP stands for walks and hits per innings pitched, and limiting walks is where Seattle’s stellar rotation has especially shined this year. The Mariners’ starters lead the league with 1.77 walks per nine innings, once again well ahead of the next-best team, the Minnesota Twins (2.18).

That’s appropriate, because the only rotation in history with a better walk rate than the Mariners is a team from Minnesota’s past: the 2005 Twins, who allowed just 1.6 walks per nine innings.

“Since the turn of the century, (the Mariners have) the second-lowest walk rate of a starting rotation over the course of a full season,” Passan said. “When they are playing defensively, less than 5% of those plate appearances end up in a walk by the starter.”

Passan said there’s a big difference between these Mariners (Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo) and those Twins, who featured stars Johan Santana and Brad Radke atop their rotation, but also lesser names Carlos Silva, Kyle Lohse and Joe Mays.

“If you go back and look at the 2005 Minnesota Twins, they had a bunch of soft-tossing, you know, garbage arms,” Passan said. “(The Mariners’ starters) are guys who were throwing like 95 to 100 mph, and the fact that they have the control and the command to pull this off and to strike a bunch of guys out – I mean, it’s truly phenomenal to watch. You guys are really lucky that you get to root for this pitching staff.”

Hear the full Brock and Salk conversation with ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan in the podcast at this link or in the player near the top of this post. Catch Brock and Salk live from 6-10 a.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.