Biggest fear this postseason

[Donn Beach]

My biggest fear is that one of our starters has a bad inning or two. That Gilbert gives up 5 straight hits to begin the game, or Kirby gives up a 3 run HR and then a sol shot in the 4th. And then our offense doesn't step up to score enough runs.

sure, the pitching gives up runs and the offense can't score them, which easily could happen. This is is a post season tournament, tiny sample size, all it takes is a three game stretch of poor performance and you are history

[XpertDBA]

My biggest fear is that one of our starters has a bad inning or two. That Gilbert gives up 5 straight hits to begin the game, or Kirby gives up a 3 run HR and then a sol shot in the 4th. And then our offense doesn't step up to score enough runs.

Is it just me thinking this way, or when Kirby does give up early runs, he kind of melts and loses it mentally? Just seems like it to me, maybe I'm wrong.

[bpj]

My hope is Wilson doesn't use a starting pitcher in a high leverage relief situation when we have a competent reliever sitting right there.

We don't have Randy Johnson here.

[Lamda]

My hope is Wilson doesn't use a starting pitcher in a high leverage relief situation when we have a competent reliever sitting right there.

We don't have Randy Johnson here.

lol name a competent reliever that we have.....all are a roll of the dice...this team is so much smoke/mirrors its sad... yes they can fake it for 3 series like they did the last 20 games or so but they also can go 3 and out with no hitting and bad pitching like they also did many times this season... should be interesting to see which team shows up.

[Donn Beach]

My hope is Wilson doesn't use a starting pitcher in a high leverage relief situation when we have a competent reliever sitting right there.

We don't have Randy Johnson here.

lol name a competent reliever that we have.....all are a roll of the dice...this team is so much smoke/mirrors its sad... yes they can fake it for 3 series like they did the last 20 games or so but they also can go 3 and out with no hitting and bad pitching like they also did many times this season... should be interesting to see which team shows up.

yup, basically like the teams they will be going up against

[bpj]

My hope is Wilson doesn't use a starting pitcher in a high leverage relief situation when we have a competent reliever sitting right there.

We don't have Randy Johnson here.

lol name a competent reliever that we have.....all are a roll of the dice...this team is so much smoke/mirrors its sad... yes they can fake it for 3 series like they did the last 20 games or so but they also can go 3 and out with no hitting and bad pitching like they also did many times this season... should be interesting to see which team shows up.

By ERA we have 3 of the top 35 relievers in MLB.

By WAR we have 2 of the top 13 relievers in MLB.

Mariners relievers had the 9th best ERA in MLB. Starters had the 13th best ERA in MLB. What's that tell you?

Overall, I dont think the Mariners have a very good team. Until you compare them to how bad the other teams really are.

This season was kind of sneaky because the team didn't seem like anything special. But, competition has decreased in the past few years imo.

Every team is having problems fielding a competent roster these days.

[Michael K.]

Interesting the managers let Skubal, Crochet , Freid all over a 100 pitches Crochet 117 pitches

Manager DiPoto would NEVER! And so smart because only Woo, Kirby, Gilbert and Miller got injured this season with this Brilliant philosophy.

No, arm injuries for pitchers are not fewer now than in the past, despite throwing fewer innings. Instead, injuries have risen significantly due to factors like higher throwing velocities and increased pitching focus on power and spin, even at amateur levels. The trend of increased arm injuries has been rising for decades, and recent rule changes like the pitch clock have not yet proven to significantly reduce them.

Higher velocities:
The drive for higher velocity and spin rates puts immense stress on pitchers' arms, contributing to a rise in injuries at all levels, from youth leagues to the pros.

Increased injury rates:
Pitcher injuries have risen steadily over the last two decades, with studies showing an increase in injuries and time spent on the injured list. For example, MLB injured list placements for pitchers increased from 212 in 2005 to 485 in 2024.

Inconsistent impact of workload limits:
Even with pitch counts and innings limits, injuries have not declined, suggesting that workload management alone is not the solution.

Tommy John surgery trend:
The number of Tommy John surgeries has also increased over time, with a peak in recent years

This is just like the NFL, in my opinion. They want it to appear as though they care about health, but with zero evidence to support it? The problem is, the first time some guy throws out his shoulder on Pitch 108 in a regular season game? My thoughts are since these guys don't build their arms up like guys like Nolan did? They are bound to have injuries. But as is mentioned above, the increased velo and spin rates can't possibly help either.

[Michael K.]

By ERA we have 3 of the top 35 relievers in MLB.

By WAR we have 2 of the top 13 relievers in MLB.

Mariners relievers had the 9th best ERA in MLB. Starters had the 13th best ERA in MLB. What's that tell you?

Overall, I dont think the Mariners have a very good team. Until you compare them to how bad the other teams really are.

This season was kind of sneaky because the team didn't seem like anything special. But, competition has decreased in the past few years imo.

Every team is having problems fielding a competent roster these days.

Well said, but I do believe that injuries to the starters has contributed to their ERA being only 13th.

[D-train]

Interesting the managers let Skubal, Crochet , Freid all over a 100 pitches Crochet 117 pitches

Manager DiPoto would NEVER! And so smart because only Woo, Kirby, Gilbert and Miller got injured this season with this Brilliant philosophy.

The M's leave their starters in longer than most teams. They were 4th in Baseball in innings pitched by the starters.

That is because they are good. They almost never throw more than 105 pitches. I bet there has never been a starter throw 115+ in the DiPoto era.

[D-train]

My biggest fear is that one of our starters has a bad inning or two. That Gilbert gives up 5 straight hits to begin the game, or Kirby gives up a 3 run HR and then a sol shot in the 4th. And then our offense doesn't step up to score enough runs.

sure, the pitching gives up runs and the offense can't score them, which easily could happen. This is is a post season tournament, tiny sample size, all it takes is a three game stretch of poor performance and you are history

And we are three wins from the ALCS.