Just think of how good the Seattle Mariners would have been this season if they had better pitchers to fill the back end of their starting rotation?  They probably would have won the American League West.  Jeff Weaver has started 25 games this season for the Mariners and he is 7-12 with a 6.21 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP.  In 133.1 innings this season, Weaver has allowed 176 hits, walked 33 batters and whiffed 73.  The most stunning thing about Weaver is the Mariners paid him over $8 million bucks for this season.  Lefty Horacio Ramirez is 8-7 which is unbelievable seeing how he has a 7.16 ERA and a 1.85 WHIP in 20 starts this season.  Ramirez has pitched 98 innings this season and he has allowed 139 hits, walked 42 batters and whiffed 40 this season.  He has been a huge bust as the Mariners gave up reliever Rafael Soriano to get him.  The Mariners are 80-70 currently which has them in 2nd place in the American League West, 8.5 games behind the Angels.  They are also 6.5 games behind the Yankees for the Wild Card.

The Mariners have been unable to find reliable pitchers for the back of the starting rotation.  Jeff Weaver has pitched well lately but he is still only 2-6 with a 6.34 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP so far this season.  If Weaver can keep pitching like he has recently then the Mariners will only need a #5 starter to make a strong playoff push in the 2nd half of the season.  Cha Seung Baek and Ryan Feierabend have both tried unsuccessfully to handle the job.  Baek is 3-3 with a 5.74 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP so far this season and Feierabend is 1-3 with a 9.31 ERA and a 1.97 WHIP so far this year.  Of course, lefty Horacio Ramirez could wind up being the answer to the #5 starting job in the Mariners rotation but he must pitch better than he did in the first half of the season when he returns from the DL.  Ramirez is 4-2 with a 6.47 ERA and a 1.88 WHIP so far this season.  It’s possible that the Mariners will explore a trade for Dontrelle Willis or Javier Vazquez in the coming weeks.

Chris Reitsma and Sean White have both been pretty awful out of the bullpen for the Mariners.  Reitsma was signed to be the top setup man for the Mariners in the off season but he has been pretty bad.  He is 0-1 with a 5.49 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP so far this season.  Sean White was a Rule 5 Pick for the Mariners and he’s been overmatched in the major leagues.  White is 1-1 with a 7.03 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP so far this year.

Richie Sexson is without a doubt the most intimidating hitter on the Mariners but he has been in a deep first half slump.  If Sexson gets straightened out it will fix the whole Mariners lineup.  Sexson is only hitting .205 with 40 runs scored, 15 homers and 48 RBIs so far this season. 

The Mariners felt they improved their rotation by signing Miguel Batista and Jeff Weaver as free agents and trading for lefty Horacio Ramirez but they all have been pretty bad this season.  Miguel Batista is at least showing signs of life as he’s 6-4 this season despite having a 5.43 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP!  Horacio Ramirez is on the disabled list with a shoulder problem but he wasn’t that good before he hurt himself.  Ramirez is 4-2 despite having a 6.47 ERA and a 1.88 WHIP.  What makes Ramirez’ poor start hurt even more is the fact that they gave up Rafael Soriano to get him.  Words fail to describe how awful Jeff Weaver has been this season.  He is 0-6 with a 14.32 ERA and a 2.59 WHIP so far this season.  If the Mariners take Cha Seung Baek out of their rotation for either Weaver or Ramirez they are idiots.  Baek has started 8 games this season for the Mariners and he’s 3-2 with a 4.93 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP so far this season.

The Mariners gave Miguel Batista more money than he could have gotten anywhere else and he’s proving to not be worth the investment so far this season.  In his first 8 starts, Batista is 3-4 with a 6.15 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP so far this season.  In 45.1 innings, he has allowed 60 hits, 6 homers, walked 14 batters and whiffed 26.  Look for Batista to pitch better than that, but he’s not worth the money the Mariners gave him.  Batista’s signing is just another reason why the Mariners should have a new GM for next season.