Mariners Opening Series vs. Houston Astros: 3 Up, 3 Down

3 Down

Unfortunately, though, where there is good, there is bound to be some bad as well. And there was plenty of it to go around in the opening series. Here are three things that particularly stood out during the first four games.

The Offense

Let’s just start this off by saying, the offense was awful in the first four games of the season. Besides Segura’s .300 batting average, nobody else is above the .200 mark.

The team only mustered eight runs over four games. Despite having 23 hits in the series, the team also struck out 41 times and left a man on base 73 times.  It’s a safe bet to say this lineup will turn things around, but the slow start is disappointing.

For this team that has plenty of strong hitters in the lineup, that turnaround could come as quickly as tonight. This should end up being the strength of the team moving forward, and hitters like Cano, Cruz, and Seager are nearly guaranteed to improve.

3-36 RISP

This was the root of the problem right here, the team just flat out couldn’t hit with runners in scoring position. This stat is even padded by the 2-9 RISP performance on Thursday, before that, the team was 1-27.

With a stat that bad, it’s hard to say the team can’t improve on that rather easily in the team’s next series against the Angels. That team isn’t as talented as the Astros, and we can only hope the offense has settled in a bit more.

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BB Allowed

This stat wasn’t all that impactful on the series, but it could become a problem if it continues. Felix didn’t walk anyone and Paxton only walked one in his outing. But Miranda and Kuma each handed out three free passes.

It would be nice to not see this trend continue, especially for Kuma. As long as they can control damage effectively, the walks won’t kill you, but pitchers can only do that for so long before it catches up to them.

Kuma should be able to ease up on the walks and only allow one or two a game. But this is still something to keep an eye on. If he does continue to issue walks, he will end up giving up a lot more runs than we want this season.

Next: Mariners Bullpen Review After Opening Series

Sure, the 1-3 start to the season wasn’t what many had hoped for, and some fans may even be in panic mode. But the series wasn’t very bad at all.

In fact, it was a solid four games that easily could have seen the team at 3-1 had the lineup produced a few more hits with runners in scoring position. This isn’t the end of the world or the season. Stay true to the blue, and go, Mariners