3 Keys to a Successful Series for Mariners against the Boston Red Sox

Well to say the Seattle Mariners are struggling is an understatement. The team is just 7-18 over the past 25 games and now must head to Boston to take on the Red Sox.

This will be the second and final time the Mariners will play Boston, having already defeated the defending champions 3 games to 1 in the Opening Series at T-Mobile. The Red Sox got off to a dismal start in their attempt to repeat as champs, but have picked things up lately.

Both teams enter the series as .500 teams but are headed in opposite directions. Boston has won 8 of their last 10 and recently saw the best outing of 2019 from their ace Chris Sale. But fortunately for the Mariners, they will not see Chris Sale this series, or David Price who went on the IL earlier this week.

So how can the Mariners break out of their slump and win their first series since their last trip to Anaheim? Let’s take a look at the 3 keys to a successful series.

1. Continue to grind out ABs

The Mariners offense has been frustrating during this bad stretch but we have recently seen the team get back to their identity. The number of PAs in the Yankee series in which the Mariners fell behind 0-2 yet forced a pitcher to throw 5 or more pitches was noticeable.

The Mariners are back to cranking home runs at their record pace and just look primed for a breakout. Struggling bats like Mitch Haniger and Domingo Santana have flashed this week and appear poised for a breakout.

Fenway Park is a hitters paradise and the Red Sox won’t exactly be throwing out the best arms in the AL. For now, we know the Mariners will face Eduardo Rodriguez in game 1 and Rick Porcello in Game 2. The team did bash both pitchers around at T-Mobile. However, both are coming off good starts, so continuing to spoil pitches to drive up pitch counts will be important this series.

2. Will the Real Felix Please Stand Up?

Just when we thought Felix Hernandez may have figured out how to be successful with his new arm, we watched him look like AA pitcher against a Yankees lineup without a lot of their stars. To his credit, Felix did settle down after allowing 7 runs in the first 2 innings, going 5 innings overall and helping save the bullpen.

But pitching in Fenway is no picnic and Felix’s issues with surrendering home runs doesn’t fill anybody with much confidence. Boston has absolutely ripped Felix since 2014 so the longtime ace will have a lot to prove in Boston.

With Erik Swanson pitching game 1, the Mariners will need one of these two arms to step up before Marco Gonzales can take the ball in game 3.

3. Don’t Help the Red Sox

This might seem simple, but the best way to beat your opponent is to let them beat themselves. We have seen the Mariners give away outs on defense with every kind of error imaginable. We have watched pitchers be incapable of throwing strikes.

We have recently watched the team give away more outs on the bases and playing for one run with bunts and things of that nature really can’t be a strategy deployed at any time. When you play in Fenway, also assume that one run isn’t going to be good enough. Giving away outs on offense lessens your chance at the big inning and big innings are what it will most likely take for Seattle to snag a few wins.

When facing an opponent with more talent than you it is important to always remain on equal footing with them. If they’ll only give you 27 outs to work with, that’s all you can give them. Handing over outs on bunts and bad base-running could be death nails in the Mariners coffin.

Giving away free bases and allowing them to send more hitters to the plate are just as bad. The Mariners aren’t talented enough to go blow for blow with Boston. They must be smart, patient, and cannot miss opportunities.

Winning a series in Boston is always tough. Doing it with the way the Mariners have been playing the past 3 weeks seems impossible. But if they can play clean ball on defense, avoid stupid mistakes on offense, and continue to show signs of breaking out, they’ll be able to do just that this weekend in Boston.