See Where The Mariners Go?

Now the trading deadline is over let’s see how the Mariners go the rest of the season.

They now take on the Houston Astros over this weekend so not an easy task. The Mariners have swept the Astros in Houston before but the aftermath wasn’t good either. The Mariners came home and did awful.

The key for the Mariners is to find some consistency when it comes to playing well as winning.  Not an easy task with one of their three top starting pitchers no longer on the team and two relievers have gone as well.

At least with the relieving Hunter Strickland was out with injury most of the season so trading him now should not look like a big deal other than he could have helped the Mariners out. Roenis Elias who took over Strickland’s role as the closer was traded as well.

So what do the Mariners do the rest of the season? I am sure we won’t see many more victories than we had already seen the Mariners will see what they have in additional starting pitching the rest of the season well as the relief.

Mike Leake’s spot in the rotation won’t be filled as of yet. The Mariners have three days off in the next two weeks so they only have to use four starters right now.  When they travel to Toronto to take on the Blue Jays is when a fifth starter might be required.

The Mariners could bring up one of their top pitching prospects in either Justin Dunn or Justus Sheffield. The choice would likely be Sheffield because he is on the Mariner’s 40-man roster while Dunn is not. The Mariners would have to add him on the 40-man roster.  The Mariners likely wait until September to bring up Dunn when the 25-man roster can expand.

Right now the Mariners have thirty players activated on the 40-man roster.  The Mariners are expected to add onto the 25-man roster before Friday night’s game which could mean adding another pitcher to the 40-man roster as well.   

The Mariners have 12 players on the injured list; although they have 30 players shown on the 40-man roster at some point a player will have to be removed if all or most of the players are reactivated.

Next time I will look at the Mariner’s current bullpen, any other moves and how the Mariners do Friday night. Go M’s.