Mariners still striking out at a record pace, but big swings now bringing results

ANAHEIM, Calif. – The strikeouts, they can live with. Up to a point, anyway.

And, yes, Mariners hitters continue to strike out at a record pace, on track to shatter the franchise mark of 1,581 in 2019.

Their strikeout rate, believe it or not, has increased in recent weeks, up to 27.4% over their past 30 games.

The difference lately, though, is the Mariners have been rewarded for their big swings. From July 1 through Friday, they rank among MLB’s top 10 offenses in slugging percentage (.447), on-base percentage (.333) and hard-hit rate (37.2%).

Their FanGraphs WAR (fWAR) in 30 games since July 1 is 6.5, which ranks sixth in the majors.

For context, at the start of the season it took the Mariners 65 games to accumulate their first 6.5 fWAR.

Not surprisingly, the improved offensive production has helped the Mariners go 20-10 since July 1, tied with Baltimore for the best record in MLB since then.

Perhaps most notably, Julio Rodriguez is starting to heat up. The second-year center fielder reached base four times in the Mariners’ 9-7 victory Friday night with a home run, a double and two walks.

He had a two-run double in the third inning Saturday – just missing a home run to left field – for the Mariners’ first runs off Angels starter Tyler Anderson, and finished 3 for 4.

“You’ve just got to simplify and not try to do too much,” Rodriguez said. “Just stay simple and try to hit the ball to where (it) wants to go.”

The M’s tied seasons highs with four home runs and eight extra-base hits Friday night.

Again, the Mariners are still striking out – only the Angels, at 27.9%, have struck out more often over the past five weeks – but manager Scott Servais said he likes the improved approach from his hitters.

He’s seeing fewer chases at pitches out of the zone, particularly with runners in scoring position.

“Our guys are doing a good job understanding situations like that,” Servais said. “You’ve got to get a good pitch to hit. And some guys are better than others. Some guys get a little bit anxious. We’ve seen that throughout the season. That’s what we’re trying to get away from. The pressure’s on the pitcher. It’s not on the guy in the batter’s box.”

Eugenio Suarez has been the Mariners’ most productive hitter in that regard. He entered Saturday leading the team with 71 runs batted in, with a franchise-record streak of 10 consecutive games with an RBI that ended Saturday.

“Geno is really good at it,” Servais said. “Geno is used to hitting with runners in scoring position. He’s been in the league a long time. He’s hitting the middle of lineup probably his whole career. He’s used to having traffic out there and he doesn’t try to overdo it.

“And I think it’s a good example for some of our other guys to watch how he goes through those at-bats. Oftentimes in those at-bats, he’s not trying to pull the ball. Guys who drive in a lot of runs in his league hit the ball the other way.”