Mariners Batting .184, Worst in Baseball, and They're About to Face a Crippled Astros Team That Could Get Worse

The Mariners came home Friday looking like they need a serious intervention at the plate. A trip through Southern California and Texas did absolutely nothing to fix what's been a nightmare offensive start to the season, and the numbers are downright ugly. Seattle is batting .184, the worst mark in all of Major League Baseball. The Los Angeles Angels, sitting in 29th place, look like murderers' row at .201 compared to what the Mariners are doing.

And it gets worse from there. Last in on-base percentage at .280, last in slugging percentage at .301. The Mariners are the only team in MLB with an on-base-plus-slugging percentage below .600. They're sitting in the division cellar with a 4-9 record and just snapped off a five-game losing streak. This is the team that preseason had pegged as the favorites in the AL West. That's a free fall.

The Mariners Can't Move Runners, And It's Costing Them

Manager Dan Wilson didn't sugarcoat it after a 3-0 loss Wednesday at Texas. "Just not much going on offensively," he said. "We were able to get a little bit of traffic, but we were not able to move it along. Not enough consistency on the offensive side."

On their just-finished road trip, the Mariners scored only 13 runs total. Seven of those came in an extra-inning loss to the Angels. They were shut out twice. Four games saw them score two runs or fewer. The offensive ineptitude is almost criminal when you consider what the pitching staff is doing.

Third baseman Brendan Donovan has a team-leading .316 batting average, but even he's trying to manage expectations. "You're going to go through lulls like this," Donovan said. "Unfortunately, we're just getting hit with some adversity at the beginning. Personally, I'd rather us go through it now, see what we're made of, establish our identity, and then go from there."

The Pitching Is Elite. The Bats Are Broken.

Here's the cruel part: Seattle's pitching staff has a 2.62 ERA, third-best in all of baseball behind only Atlanta (2.03) and the New York Yankees (2.35). That's a genuinely excellent start. And it's being completely wasted by an offense that can't string together hits when it matters.

Friday's series opener against Houston pairs Mariners right-hander Emerson Hancock (1-1, 0.71) against Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai (1-0, 4.32). Hancock is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA in two career starts against Houston. Last Saturday, he took a 1-0 loss to the Angels on a leadoff homer, but gave up just six hits in 6 2/3 innings with five strikeouts and no walks. Imai, signed from Japan in the offseason, pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings in an 11-0 victory against the Athletics, striking out nine.

The Astros are their own disaster right now. They've lost four straight after getting swept at Colorado and have allowed 35 runs in that span. Hunter Brown is on the injured list with a right-shoulder strain. Cristian Javier left Wednesday's game with shoulder tightness. Even center fielder Jake Meyers came out midway through an at-bat with lower back issues. Houston's 6.05 ERA ranks second-worst in baseball ahead of only Washington. Manager Joe Espada acknowledged the damage: "The injuries have piled on, and it's not a good feeling."

So Seattle gets a wounded team Friday, but only if the bats show up. And right now? That's not guaranteed.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.