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# One Big Thing Continues to Plague Mariners’ Pitching Staff
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/one-big-thing-plaguing-seattle-mariners-pitching-staff/
- Published: 2026-08-06T21:22:37.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T05:55:26.000Z
- Author: Nick Lee
- Tags: Analysis, Mariners, Bryce Miller, Eduard Bazardo

\[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="4939"\]

![ Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryce Miller (50) delivers in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/2026-08-06t205519z_258569617_mt1usatoday29530689_rtrmadp_3_mlb-detroit-tigers-at-seattle-mariners-jpg-format-original.jpg)

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryce Miller (50) delivers in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images \[/caption\]

On paper, most consider the Seattle Mariners to have one of the best pitching staffs in all of baseball. Certainly, that is true of their starting rotation. They lead all of baseball in innings pitched by their starters, while ranking seventh in starter WAR and eighth in starter ERA.

In an age of baseball where it’s a “five and dive” approach for starters - or going five innings and turning things over to flamethrowing reliever after flamethrowing reliever - the Mariners’ rotation is a bit of a throwback.

The bullpen certainly has some bright spots as well. Gabe Speier, Jose Ferrer, and Andres Munoz make up a solid back end of the bullpen. Seattle has the sixth-best bullpen ERA in MLB. Yet, there is something missing. Over the last 30 days, the Mariners’ team ERA has trickled down to 21st in the league. Sure, some of that is due to the likes of Matt Brash, Cooper Criswell, and Carlos Vargas battling injuries. That affects the overall depth of the bullpen, which is getting more and more exposed as a result.

Even the starters have had issues. In fact, over the last month, one thing has plagued both the starters and bullpen: too many home runs. Since the beginning of the “second half” following the All-Star break (18 games before Thursday), the Mariners’ pitching staff ranks dead last in home runs allowed per nine innings at 1.94\. That is worse than the likes of the Rockies, Athletics, and Angels.

As the season begins to feel more like a sprint to the finish than a marathon, hitting and preventing home runs feel like the most paramount issue. The stats prove that home runs win in October. Or cost you games, if you are the team serving them up. Right now, no pitching staff is serving up homers at a worse rate than Seattle’s.

The Mariners’ offense has their struggles, sure. Over that same time frame, Seattle’s bats rank 25th in runs scored. But this team was supposed to be built on pitching. While other numbers look acceptable, the fact that the Mariners are currently the worst staff for allowing home runs right now is unacceptable. That is the type of flaw that could sink this team well before they reach the postseason.

As I write this, Bryce Miller allowed a home run to Dillon Dingler to begin Thursday’s series finale against the Tigers. Right on cue. At the trade deadline, the Mariners acquired reliever Seranthony Dominguez as part of the deal that sent Luis Castillo to Chicago. Unfortunately, it does not look like Dominguez is the cure for what ails Seattle. Among 197 relievers with at least 30 innings pitched, the newly acquired righty ranks 184th in home runs allowed per nine innings.

What is to be done? The team’s ERA sits at 4.61 for the second half. Their “expected” ERA is 3.91, over half of a run better. That suggests there could be some rotten luck in play. It could be a run of poor luck or bad pitching decisions. Poor pitch location and suboptimal matchups are factors. Is it a lack of focus? A lack of killer instinct? This Mariners team clearly lacks something.

Eduard Bazardo is the top suspect in the bullpen, with five home runs allowed since the All-Star break. That ties him for the team lead along with starter Bryce Miller.

Right now, the combination appears to be the pitching staff giving up far too many home runs while Seattle’s own offense hits far too few (20th in MLB since the break). That’s the type of trend that makes a team miss the playoffs and fall far below expectations.