Seattle Mariners Takeaways from 9-2 Win vs. Chicago White Sox

After the Mariners suffered a frustrating loss to open their first road trip of 2019, Seattle was hoping to bounce back and avoid their first losing streak of the season.

As has become the norm for this Mariners team, the offense showed up and helped carry the squad to its eighth win in their first 10 games. But the offense didn’t do it alone. Here are a few of the things we noticed today.

1. Mike Leake is Good at Getting Guys Out

Perhaps the most overlooked Mariner of the past two years, Mike Leake did exactly what he has always done: he got professional hitters out. The stat line was as solid as they come for Leake. He went 6.1 innings, allowing 2 runs on 9 hits, and added 6 strikeouts as well.

After his great start against the Red Sox, Leake more or less cruised through the White Sox lineup, who didn’t put up much of a threat until he was over 100 pitches. The Mariners bullpen got out of the jam, and Mike Leake collected yet another quality start.

Leake isn’t going to be remembered for how good he actually is. He is boring, at least in a world that is overflowing with 97 mph fastballs. Leake shows that there is still a place for the workhorse starting pitchers in 2019, even if they only throw 90 mph.

2. Foolishness on the Bases

It didn’t end up hurting the team too bad, but the Mariners had more than one base-running error. Seattle recorded an error at every base: Mallex Smith was thrown out at second, Tim Beckham was thrown out at 3rd, and Ryon Healy was tossed at home.

Thankfully, the Mariners hit more than well enough to compensate for these blunders. It hasn’t been an issue in 2019 yet, but it is something worth keeping an eye on going forward.

3. The Lineup… Still Good

We all basically know the story at this point: the Mariners sure can hit. Everybody in the lineup got on base, and everybody but Mallex Smith got at least one hit. The team continues to play long ball, extending their streak to 10 consecutive games with a home run.

Today, Jay Bruce extended the streak and added another for good measure. Tim Beckham also added a home run and was 4-5 at the plate. The Mariners have 24 homers in their first 10 games, the most by any club since the 2006 Detroit Tigers.

The Seattle Mariners improved their record to 8-2 and will go for the series tomorrow at 11:10 AM PDT. Wade LeBlanc will take the mound and hope to build off the nice start from Mike Leake.