The Seattle Mariners suffered a devastating loss on Friday, falling to the Houston Astros, 5-3. It's the second loss in a row for Seattle, who failed to hold a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning.
The trio of Trent Thornton, Gabe Speier and Cody Bolton surrendered four runs in that frame in relief of starting pitcher George Kirby, who went 6.0 innings.
Kirby threw just 88 pitches, so after the game manager Scott Servais provided an ominous update about why Kirby didn't at least start the seventh.
Per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com:
George Kirby has been dealing with a right knee issue, Scott Servais just said, which is why the Mariners opted to turn to their bullpen when he cleared the 6th inning and was at just 88 pitches.
Servais said that it’s not a major issue, but one that they’re keeping an eye on.
It's good to hear that Servais says it's not major, but given how vital Kirby is to the Mariners success, any discomfort is a big deal. Furthermore, given how light-hitting the M's are, they can't afford to miss key members of their rotation for any stretch of time.
After a 12-strikeout performance last weekend against the Diamondbacks, Kirby was brilliant again on Friday. In those six innings, he allowed just one run on four hits. He walked none and struck out three. His ERA is now 3.76 for the season.
The 26-year-old made his Major League debut in 2022 and was named an All-Star in 2023.
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