Mariners: 4 takeaways from opening series versus San Francisco Giants

1) More good than bad from the Mariners bullpen

More than the starting rotation, the bullpen was considered the biggest issue for the Mariners heading into the 2021 season. Certainly, the relievers have had their problems in recent years.

Admittedly, three games is not nearly enough to realistically gauge how the bullpen will perform this season. However, if nothing else, at least the early signs show some promise, with more ups then downs during the opening series.

Casey Sadler faced a 5-0 deficit when he entered Game 1 in the seventh, but held his nerve with a 1-2-3 inning which included two strikeouts. Will Vest made his Major League debut in the eighth, allowing one hit, one walk and an unearned run.

Unfortunately for Rafael Montero he blew the save in the ninth, although at least he didn’t implode, striking out two to take the game into extra innings. Anthony Misiewicz then entered the fray and allowed no hits or walks, as he ultimately claimed his first career win in the Majors.

Things didn’t go nearly as well for the Seattle bullpen in Game 2, specifically for Drew Steckenrider, who was making his debut for the M’s. He endured a nightmare outing which didn’t even last one inning, as he gave up two walks, two hits and three earned runs; for some perspective, this equated to an ERA of 40.50.

(Steckenrider was replaced by Keynan Middleton in the seventh inning, who also made his Mariners debut and pitched 1.1 innings, allowing one walk, but no runs or hits. In addition, Nick Margevicius — who missed out on a spot in the rotation — had a straightforward 1-2-3 ninth inning and should provide some stability in the bullpen.)

Matters improved for the bullpen in the rubber match, as they gave their most complete performance of the opening series. Kendall Graveman stood out with no hits or walks, to go along with five strikeouts in two innings.

However, Montero also deserved credit for bouncing back from his previous appearance and giving up no hits or walks in 1.1 innings, to record his first save of the season. The Mariners will be hoping this sets him up to be a more reliable closer moving forward, similar to the one who was eight-for-eight in save opportunities last year for the Texas Rangers.

NEXT: OTHER NOTABLE HIGHLIGHTS