Mariners need improved pitching as Angels continue visit

There were plenty of questions regarding the Seattle Mariners entering the 2019 season.

The starting rotation, however, wasn't expected to be among them.

With four starters returning from a team that won 89 games a season ago and the addition of Japanese left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, the rotation seemed the least of the Mariners worries in general manager Jerry Dipoto's "step-back" plan to assure the club is competitive in 2020 and beyond.

The Mariners were among the major league leaders in quality starts in the first month of the season. But since April 26, when Seattle was 18-11 and in first place in the American League West, it's been a different story.

Kikuchi lasted just 3 1/3 innings and gave up 10 hits for the second straight start Thursday as the Mariners lost 9-3 to the visiting Los Angeles Angels in the opener of a four-game series.

"Yusei has a hard time getting any sort of rhythm early in ballgames," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "I think it's one of the things you have to learn is on the nights when you don't have your A game, how do you survive? How do you keep your team in the game? It was uncharacteristic of him not to keep us in the game and just grind through it. He's got to learn from it."

Over the past 30 games, Mariners starters are 5-19 with a 6.66 ERA as the team has tumbled into the AL West cellar.

Kikuchi hasn't been alone in his struggles. Opening Day starter Marco Gonzales, who set a franchise record with five victories by the end of April, went 0-5 with a 5.86 ERA. Wade LeBlanc is 0-2 since missing a month with an injury and longtime ace Felix Hernandez is still on the injured list with right shoulder stiffness.

Right-hander Mike Leake (3-6, 4.93 ERA) is set to take the mound Friday against Angels left-hander Tyler Skaggs (4-4, 4.40). Leake is 4-4 with a 3.88 ERA in eight career starts against the Angels, including an 8-6 loss on April 21 in Anaheim in which he allowed four runs on six hits -- including three home runs -- in six innings. Skaggs is 2-2 with a 4.26 ERA in nine starts against Seattle.

The Angels got a boost Thursday with the return of center fielder Mike Trout, who returned after missing the previous day's game at Oakland after fouling a ball off his right foot Tuesday night,.

Trout went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs in the victory. Kole Calhoun and Cesar Puello added solo home runs. It was the second consecutive day that Puello went deep after hitting his first major league homer Wednesday.

"It was fun to be a part of," Trout told MLB.com. "When you've got all the guys contributing, it's big for us. Lot of big hits by guys who weren't with us before. Seems like every time I was up there were guys on base."

--Field Level Media