Mariners notes: Depleted bullpen makes a call to arms

Published 1:30 am Sunday, September 4, 2016

SEATTLE — Bullpen usage is always up during a late-season playoff race, Seattle reliever Drew Storen said.

But mix in the struggles of the Mariners’ starting pitching over the past several games — they’re 3-11 since Aug. 21, and have pitched fewer than six innings in nine of those outings — and the bullpen is even more taxed.

The Mariners have cycled through 10 relievers in three games since returning home from Texas last Friday. Three of them carried the majority of the load in Saturday’s blowout loss. Starter Taijuan Walker gave up six runs early and exited after just two-thirds of an inning.

The starting staff continued to struggle Sunday when Hisashi Iwakuma gave up two first-inning home runs in the series finale against the Angels.

“With the situations the last couple nights, giving up runs early, you want to make sure you’re covered (in the bullpen),” Mariners manager Scott Servais said.

That’s why Storen, who was 2-0 with a 4.35 ERA for Seattle before he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder inflammation, was activated Sunday. He pitched one inning, allowing no hits and striking out one. The reliable right-hander has limited opponents to one run or fewer in each of his past 10 outings.

“It was pretty standard,” Storen said of his brief stint on the DL. “It was one of those situations where, early in the season, I just needed a couple days and I’d be good. But we don’t really have that luxury this time of year.”

Storen was acquired July 26 from Toronto, where he pitched a lower volume of innings.

“I wasn’t throwing that much in Toronto, and then coming here, it’s kind of pedal to the metal and high leverage — all good things,” he said. “There’s just no way to prepare for that. If I’d been throwing a lot throughout the year, it probably would have been a different story.”

The Mariners have won two games since Storen was put on the DL Aug. 22. They’ve won one game since reliever Tom Wilhelmsen (back) was placed on the 15-day DL. Both of the veteran pitchers, Servais said, had been tasked recently with entering games in difficult situations.

“They were pitching very regularly and doing a good job,” Servais said. “We kind of had them in pseudo roles. Tom and Drew were both kind of helping us get out of jams. When there was traffic on the bases, they were coming in to deal with that.”

Maybe the absences are correlated, or maybe coincidental considering Seattle’s recent slump, but Servais pointed to the starting pitching as a contributing factor and pressing issue.

The Mariners starters have given up more than four runs in eight of their past 13 games. That includes 17 home runs — the most in the majors over that span.

“Starting pitching has struggled on the trip, and obviously the last couple nights, giving up runs early in the game,” Servais said. “Sometimes you can overcome it, sometimes you can’t.”

The latter has been true lately, which led to Sunday’s addition of Storen and David Rollins, who was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma.

“David’s been here in the past, and David’s left-handed, so we can throw him out there in a number of different roles,” Servais said.

Fingernail is fine

James Paxton’s recurring fingernail issue seems to be fixed for the time being.

The lefty tore a fingernail on the middle finger of his pitching hand during his Aug. 31 start against Texas. He has a makeshift nail made of glue and powder to replace the tear.

“It’s doing pretty good,” he said. “I threw a bullpen yesterday and it stayed on just fine, so that was good.”

Paxton said the nail will be touched up Sunday — he joked that he’d ask whether flames could be painted on it — in anticipation of his Tuesday start against the Rangers.

“Tuesday is going to be a go,” he said.

Minor details

Triple-A Tacoma, which has already clinched a Pacific Coast League playoff berth, won its 80th game on Sunday, rallying for four runs in the ninth to defeat Reno, 8-7, at Cheney Stadium.

The club has won 80 or more games only three times since becoming Seattle’s top affiliate in 1995. Before Sunday, the Rainiers most recently hit the mark in 2008, when they finished 80-64.

Rainiers infielder Dan Vogelbach is on a 29-game on-base streak. It’s the longest streak by a Tacoma player since Chris Taylor reached base safely for 30 straight games in 2014.

Vogelbach’s streak is the longest active streak in the PCL. He has hit .277 during that span, drawing 32 walks for a .452 on-base percentage.

Short hops

Mariners slugger Nelson Cruz has hit nine home runs in his past 20 games against Los Angeles the Angels. He has 35 homers against the Angels in his career. … With one more home run, outfielder Leonys Martin would become the first Mariners player since Michael Saunders in 2012 to complete a season with 15 or more homers and 15 or more steals. Martin currently has 14 home runs and 16 stolen bases.