Seattle Mariners: Predicting When the 16-Game Losing Streak Will End

The Seattle Mariners lost their 16th straight game last night to the New York Yankees. This is the second longest single-season streak since 1994. When will the bleeding stop?

Seattle’s losing streak will stop either Wednesday against the Yankees or Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays at home.

Wednesday will feature Felix Hernandez vs. Phil Hughes. Hernandez is 8-9 with a 3.47 ERA in 2011. He has struck out 148 batters, allowing him the opportunity to not have to worry about his defense being solid behind him.

If any pitcher can be that “stopper,” it will be Hernandez.

Phil Hughes (1-2) has only started six games in 2011 because of injury. Hughes could allow the Mariners to collect a few early-inning runs which will put the pressure on the Yankees hitters causing a high strikeout number.

Thursday will feature Michael Pineda vs. Alex Cobb. Pineda is 8-7 with a 3.64 ERA in his first year in the big leagues. If the streak continues into Thursday, the Mariners would host the Rays and Pineda could use the crowd to his advantage because the fans will want this streak to end as soon as possible.

Cobb (3-0) doesn’t have too much experience in the league. He has been spectacular, posting a 2.57 ERA in seven starts.

If one of these two pitchers can’t manage a victory, this losing streak may slide into the low 20s. When the Mariners were 43-43 on July 5, it looked like they could be in the American League West race. But, the pitching has been under so much pressure to perform at a high level due to the horrendous offense the Mariners possess.

Seattle's offense is 30th in runs (335), 30th in batting average (.226), 30th in on base percentage (.289) and 29th in slugging percentage (.334).

As the Mariners continue their lack of offense, the pitching staff has been on a decline during the streak. They have been outscored 95-42.

It’s tough to win baseball games when your pitching staff is giving up six runs per game, especially with the offense the Mariners have.

The pitching staff has been great as a whole in 2011. Their ERA is ninth in Major League Baseball with a 3.56 ERA.

Nothing has gone right during the streak. If they score a bunch of runs, the pitching allows more runs. If the pitching stifles the opponent, the opposing pitcher dominates the Mariners’ hitters.

Nobody likes to see a team lose as many games in a row as the Mariners have. Let’s just hope Hernandez or Pineda can end their misery.