Where do the Mariners stack up against rivals in the A.L. West after the first month?

1st place in the A.L. West: Seattle Mariners (16-13), Division Leader

The Seattle Mariners are in first place. How sweet are those words? Yes, it is not even May yet, but who cares? The Mariners took the division lead while winning a series against the Texas Rangers. The Mariners are living up to the hype so far, which is a far cry from where fans were thinking this team was not 3 weeks ago.

Yes, the offense is still struggling. They are 27th in batting average, 26th in OBP, 24th in slugging percentage, and 25th in OPS. Guys like Julio Rodriguez, Jorge Polanco, and Mitch Garver have not been playing up to the back of their baseball cards quite yet. I imagine those numbers will all hover around league average when all is said and done.

What the Mariners can do is pitch. They are 3rd in team ERA, 6th in strikeouts as a staff, 1st in WHIP (Walks + hits per inning pitched), and second in opponents batting average. Over the Mariners' last 17 games, the starting pitchers have given up just 18 earned runs. I am no mathematician, but that is just over a 1 earned run on average over the last 17 games. I think that is good?

The Mariners have a +11 run differential, which is the best in the A.L. West. They really need the bats to heat up to start complimenting this pitching staff. Their record at home is 10-7, while their road record is 6-6. The record against .500 teams is 11-9, so hopefully they can take advantage of sub-par teams moving forward.

I fully suspect this team to make it into the Postseason, most likely as a Wild Card team. This team is built for Postseason baseball. Relentless starting pitching, and a terrific bullpen. That combo leads to success more times than not in the playoffs.

As always, Go Mariners!