The last good thing the Mariners' starting rotation had going is over

The Seattle Mariners won on Wednesday, beating the San Diego Padres to win the series and cap off a 4-2 homestand. As of this writing, they are one game back of the Houston Astros in the AL West and ahead of their closest wild card pursuer by 3.5 games.

But, alas, something actually was lost in Wednesday's triumph: Bryan Woo's iron man streak.

By pitching 5.2 innings of two-run ball to pace a 4-3 win, Woo was successful in keeping his ERA under 3.00 while also picking up his 12th win of the season. But by falling just an out short of six innings, he failed to make it 26 straight starts with at least that many frames to start his 2025 season.

It is flatly ridiculous that Woo put together such a streak in the first place. By the standards of modern starters, making it through the sixth is akin to summiting Mt. Rainier in a single day. He had no business doing it 25 times in a row, much less with no more than two walks in every single outing.

Woo's season goes on, of course, and Mariners fans obviously hope that his run of six-inning starts will begin anew. Yet for the meantime, there's a reason that oh-so-specific letdown feeling is hitting so hard right now.

The Mariners' rotation needs to give fans a new rooting interest

Let's face it: Apart from Woo's amazing streak, there hasn't been much to cheer for coming from Seattle's rotation.

It was apparent early on that it was not going to be the wrecking ball that it was in 2024, when it led the league with a 3.38 ERA and a handful of other notable figures. George Kirby opened the year on the injured list, which also soon claimed Logan Gilbert and Bryce Miller.

Right now is when things should be different. When Miller rejoined the rotation last Tuesday, the Mariners finally had the starting five that they were hoping to have at the outset of spring training. And yet the beating goes on, as Seattle starters have a worse ERA in the second half (4.29) than they did in the first (3.98). Even worse, they have a 4.58 ERA for August.

Whereas Woo has been a paragon of efficiency, his four compatriots in the rotation have taken various lumps over various stretches of time:

• Luis Castillo: 6.66 ERA in August
• Logan Gilbert: 4.28 ERA since coming off the IL
• George Kirby: 4.05 ERA since coming off the IL
• Bryce Miller: 5.98 ERA for the season, 7.20 ERA since coming off the IL

If there's good news, it's that Castillo looks like the only lost cause out of these four. The 32-year-old was getting away with a lot even when he was pitching well earlier in the year, and now the velocity that once made him a star is kaput. It figures that his effectiveness would follow suit.

By contrast, Gilbert, Kirby, and Miller are throwing the ball just fine. What each has struggled to find in the wake of their injuries is a certain element of sharpness. Kirby and Miller are both walking more hitters than they did a year ago, while Gilbert has too often had a hard time getting strike one in 13 starts since his return on June 16.

In all, time is ticking for the rotation to start clicking. The 2025 season is just about down to its final month, while the Mariners are down to their last 28 games. Woo, Gilbert, Kirby, Miller, and Castillo may only get five more starts apiece to warm up for a potential playoff run.

At this point, it's hard to imagine things going so awry that the Mariners miss out on the playoffs altogether. But if the rotation still isn't what it should be by the time the team gets there, it won't be hard to imagine how its demise could happen.