Brant Brown (right) talks with Miami Marlins first baseman Yuli Gurriel. Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Mariners make surprising change to coaching staff

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated May 31, 2024 5:49 PM ET

The Seattle Mariners are in first place in the AL West, but they are unhappy enough with their performance that they made a change to their coaching staff on Friday.

The Mariners fired Brant Brown as bench coach and offensive coordinator just two months into the season, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Brown was in his first season with the Mariners.

Brant Brown out as Mariners bench coach and offensive coordinator, sources tell @TheAthletic. Mariners lead AL West by three games, but are 29th in majors in runs per game, ahead of only the White Sox. Brown, previously with Dodgers and Marlins, was in first season with club.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 31, 2024

Brown’s dismissal appears related to the team’s struggles on offense. Despite a three-game lead in the division, they have scored just 211 runs on the season, tied for the second-worst mark in baseball entering play Friday. Their pitching has kept them afloat thus far, and the team clearly wants to get the offense going now instead of coasting on their first-place status.

Ultimately, there is only so much the Mariners can do. Their biggest problem on offense is that Julio Rodriguez is hitting just .268 with four home runs through 58 games. Until his power returns, it is going to be tough for the Mariners to score runs.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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