Three Mariners starters who have been rock solid in 2023

The Mariners recent run has been buoyed by turnarounds from their offense and red hot bullpen. However, it would be foolish to forget about the three starters who have carried the team from the beginning of the season. Without these three starters who knows where the Mariners would be. They have kept the Mariners in games when the offense has lagged far behind them. Here are three starters who have been rock solid for the Mariners in 2023:

Luis Castillo

Castillo has done a tremendous job at the top of the Mariners rotation. Though he has cooled off from his spectacular month of April where he posted a 1.82 ERA in six starts, he has consistently been able to bounce back after rough outings. In the month of July, Castillo had another solid string of performances going (2-1) with a 2.92 ERA in six starts. For the year, Castillo has a (9-7) record, with a 3.23 ERA, and is the Mariners strikeout king with 166 strikeouts.

Logan Gilbert

Gilbert has continued to show he can rise to the occasion in big games against the best lineups. He absolutely shutdown the Padres lineup on August 6th with 12 strikeouts, giving up just one hit, and shutting out a lineup with Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Manny Machado. Gilbert has a 3.77 ERA, is second on the Mariners staff in strikeouts with 146, and has the most wins (11) of any Mariners pitcher.

George Kirby

Kirby has done an incredible job at dominating the strike zone every time he takes the mound. He's given up the fewest walks of any qualified pitcher in MLB walking only 14 batters the entire season. His performance against the AL-leading Baltimore Orioles on August 12th, was unreal as he went nine shutout innings, gave up just 3 hits, while striking out seven. On the season, Kirby is tied with Luis Castillo for the best ERA among Mariners starters with a 3.23 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP (best in MLB), along with 133 strikeouts, and a (10-8) record.

What's next for the big three and rest of the Mariners starting rotation

The Mariners big three of Luis Castillo, George Kirby, and Logan Gilbert will be important to the Mariners success down the stretch and throughout the Mariners postseason run. Bryce Miller who pitched superbly in Friday's win against Houston, deserves an honorable mention for his incredible rookie season with a 3.78 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 89 strikeouts. Bryan Woo has also flashed at times as well, showing his potential in the Mariners rotation. With Woo and Miller not used to major league workloads (and possibly on innings restrictions), the Mariners big three will be counted on to carry the Mariners through the final months of the season.