After a 1-0 victory against the Colorado Rockies on April 16 that saw pitcher Luis Castillo flirt with a no-hitter, the Mariners have run their win streak up to four games. After a slow start to the season, Seattle is now 8-8 and just 1.5 games back of the AL West lead. What has caused this string of victories?

Strong Pitching Performances

During the last four-game stretch, Seattle has held opponents to three or fewer runs in all four games. Castillo threw a gem on Sunday. He fell just nine outs short of a perfect game and struck out nine Rockies. George Kirby and Logan Gilbert also pitched well on Saturday and Wednesday, respectively. Kirby went 6.1 innings, allowing two runs and striking out three batters. Gilbert saw his record rise to 1-1 as he struck out seven and allowed one run in 6.2 innings. The Mariners are now ranked fifth in the MLB in team ERA. Next, Seattle will need to get more consistent performances out of a bullpen that has already blown multiple games this season.

Bats Coming Alive

The Mariners’ win streak has coincided with the breakout of former top prospect Jarred Kelenic. Kelenic’s struggles at the big-league level over the last two years are well-documented. However, Kelenic has hit two home runs during the streak and made a potentially game-saving catch on Sunday. He also drove in Seattle’s only run during that game.

Seattle now ranks thirteenth in runs scored in the MLB, and can continue to climb the list if Kelenic’s breakout continues. One player that will certainly improve his performance is second-baseman Kolten Wong. The career .259 hitter has hit just .114 with a .330 OPS to start the 2023 campaign. As he and other underperforming hitters such as Julio Rodriguez and Teoscar Hernandez bring their numbers back up to normal, the Seattle offense may become one of the best in the league.

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