Seattle Mariners News: Fernando Rodney Kills Mariners, Again
Seattle Mariners news from Saturday (July 25) was primed to be really good — right up until Fernando Rodney entered the game. From that point, it was all downhill for the Mariners, as the team lost 8-6 to the Toronto Blue Jays. With the Mariners leading 6-4, Rodney entered to pitch the top of the eighth inning. It did not go well.
Rodney walked the first batter he faced (Russell Martin) and then gave up a two-run homer to Ezquiel Carrera to blow the save. He would finish out the inning, but the Mariners would give up two more runs in the ninth inning to lose the game. In what may have been a must-win situation for the Mariners, Rodney absolutely imploded again.
This was the fifth blown save of the season for Fernando Rodney, and the result has become something fans now expect to see in their Seattle Mariners news. In 42 games this season, Rodney has a 5.90 ERA and 1.54 WHIP. He has a 3-4 record and has converted 16-of-21 saves. With 19 walks in just 39 2/3 innings of work, the time has come for the team to move on.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, this isn’t the first time Rodney has faltered in a game that the team absolutely needed to win. The team just gave away a game that could have improved them to 46-52 on the season. It would have helped the Mariners pick up a game in the American League West as well as the wild card standings. Instead, the Mariner fall to just 45-53 on the season and remain 9 1/2 games back in the division and 6 1/2 games back in the wild card.
While the season isn’t over, the Mariners are really running out of time to try to sneak into the playoffs. At 45-53, there is no room for continued mistakes from Fernando Rodney, which might indicate it is time to designate him for assignment. Cutting ties with him isn’t quite as easy as it sounds, though, as the team doesn’t have a lot of depth in the bullpen any longer. That has forced manager Lloyd McClendon to use him in non-save situations that have continued to go badly.
With 98 games in the books, there are 64 games left for the Mariners to make up a big deficit in the MLB standings. What would not upset fans is if Seattle Mariners news from Sunday (July 26) began with an announcement that Rodney was no longer with the team.
[Image Source: Rob Carr/Getty Images]
