SEATTLE — A bullpen that continues to hemorrhage runs isn’t the only reason the Seattle Mariners are quickly fading into irrelevancy as the calendar pushes toward September.
But it’s a good place to start.
The Mariners have the American League’s worst bullpen ERA since the All-Star break — an appalling 5.85. Their season-long mark is up to 4.47 and closing in on Oakland (4.51) and Detroit (4.48) as the AL’s worst unit.
And it’s getting worse.
The Mariners’ relief corps allowed 44 runs in 372/3 innings, through Monday, in 10 games since Hisashi Iwakuma pitched a no-hitter against Baltimore.
And there doesn’t appear to be any help on the horizon.
The Mariners made 10 roster moves involving eight relievers since Iwakuma’s gem. Mostly, those moves involved shuttling pitchers between Triple-A Tacoma and the big leagues.
It hasn’t helped.
So what happened? The Mariners’ bullpen, a year ago, led the majors with a franchise-record 2.59 ERA.
Manager Lloyd McClendon points to injuries and Fernando Rodney’s inability to replicate his 2014 form, when he was an All-Star while leading the majors with 48 saves.
“I think you’ve seen the effects of what happens when you lose your closer,” McClendon said. “It can be very devastating to a ballclub. Rodney didn’t perform.
“All of a sudden, everybody has to step up. Quite frankly, people were stepping up into positions that they’re not quite ready for.”
Rodney lost his closer’s job in early June and had a 5.68 ERA when the Mariners designated him for assignment after last Saturday’s bullpen giveaway in a 6-3 loss to the White Sox in 10 innings.
Ironically, Rodney didn’t pitch in that game.
“We’ve got a lot of injuries in our bullpen,” McClendon said. “We know that. And we’ve got some young kids down there who are overexposed a little bit. They’re doing the best they can do.
“Unfortunately, we have to put them in some tough situations, and they just haven’t pitched very well to this point.”
Lefty specialist Charlie Furbush is likely out for the rest of the season after being diagnosed with a tear in his rotator cuff that initially went undiagnosed.
Furbush had a 2.08 ERA when he reported soreness after a July 7 outing. He was placed on the disabled list for what the Mariners characterized as biceps tendinitis.
When Furbush was slow to heal, he underwent a second examination by Dr. Edward Khalfayan, the club’s medical director, that revealed the torn rotator cuff.
Khalfayan’s findings are undergoing a second-opinion evaluation by Dr. David Altchek, a New York specialist. Furbush should begin a treatment-and-recovery program within a few days.
Veteran Joe Beimel initially filled Furbush’s role and had a 2.50 ERA before overuse took its toll. Beimel gave up 12 runs in 12/3 innings over five outings and wound up on the DL because of shoulder inflammation.
Some good news: Beimel has resumed throwing and still projects to rejoin the bullpen on Sept. 4 at the conclusion of a minimum 15-day stay on the DL.
The Mariners also figure to get some additional arms next week; rules permit rosters to expand from 25 to 40 players on Sept. 1.
More doesn’t necessarily mean better, though. The likeliest promotion candidates are familiar names: Danny Farquhar, Mayckol Guaipe, Lucas Luetge and Jose Ramirez.
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