Mariners: Chris Flexen brings back memories of last year

After struggling through his first two starts of the 2022 season, Chris Flexen got back on track Friday night, to help the Seattle Mariners beat the Kansas City Royals 4-1 at T-Mobile Park.

Baseball can be an extremely unpredictable game at times. Take, for example, the case of Mariners pitcher Chris Flexen.

Last season, Flexen was arguably the best member of the Mariners’ rotation, leading all starters in games started, quality starts, wins, innings pitched and ERA. This year however, had so far been a struggle for him.

The 27-year-old’s first couple of starts saw him take two losses, as he allowed a combined 10 hits, six earned runs and four walks in 10.1 innings. It wasn’t all his fault though, as he became just the 19th pitcher since 1995 to begin a season with his offense shut out in his first two starts; he was also the first ever Mariner in franchise history to meet this fate.

Regardless, of all the starters in the 2022 edition of Seattle’s rotation, Flexen was most in need of a good performance. Fortunately for player and team alike, he put in an excellent outing during Friday’s contest versus the Royals, to notch his first win of the season and help the Mariners to a 4-1 victory in front of 24,206 fans.

The former New York Met needed just 84 pitches — including 56 strikes — to get through seven innings, as he struck out five and only allowed no walks. He gave up six hits but just one earned run, which came via a home run blast in the top of the sixth.

Flexen was undoubtedly in a zone for the majority of his outing, best evidenced by all of his pitches working on the night. Speaking to the media afterwards, he said:

“Tonight was definitely a lot better job, mixing all four (pitches) in. My command of the ball was a lot better tonight and when you’re able to use all four, good things happen.”

Mariners’ acting manager Kristopher Negron was full of praise for his pitcher’s performance. He said:

“Flexen threw really well … (he got) us deep into the game, helping us out at times. So Flex (with a) great job. We talked pre-game about filling up the zone, staying ahead of hitters, trusting his stuff. He really commanded his fastball well today. It was a beautiful thing to see. No walks. Like we said, he filled up his zone, and got some double plays when we needed them, so great job all around.”

Flexen was understandably grateful as, opposed to his two previous starts, he received run support from his teammates. He said:

“That was huge. To be able to bust the game open in the fourth there with four runs was tremendous. These guys have been swinging it every series pretty well. You know we always play defense and it (all) definitely helps the confidence out there. You just continue to keep your foot on the gas and go out there trying to win a ball game.”

The question now, is if Flexen will be able to build on Friday night’s outing and return to last year’s form on a more consistent basis moving forward? His next start will be during the road series in Miami, versus the Marlins.

Are you confident Flexen will now produce with a similar level of consistency to last year? Or do you still have some concern after the way he began this season? Let us know in the comments section below.