The expectation this year is that the Seattle Mariners would be carried by their strong group of starting pitchers.

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However, injuries and some up-and-down performances following returns have resulted in the rotation not living up to the lofty projections it had. But there is some hope the unit can return to its top form over the season’s final month while at full strength for the first time all season.

One big hurdle the group will need to overcome over the final 28 games of the season to do so is its performance on the road, which has been quite noticeably lesser than its contributions at T-Mobile Park.

Seattle’s starters entered Thursday’s off day ranked 22nd in MLB with a 4.93 ERA on the road. Meanwhile, they’ve been performed much closer to their expectations inside the pitcher-friendly confines of of their home ballpark, ranking fifth with a 3.26 ERA.

The rotation’s troubles on the road were especially evident during the club’s last road trip when the starters posted a 6.49 ERA over 43 innings during a 2-7 East Coast swing.

The Mariners are back on the road for a nine-game trip starting Friday against a Cleveland Guardians squad that Yahoo Sports’ Jordan Shusterman believes will be a telling test for Seattle’s starting rotation.

“This will be an interesting test for Seattle in terms of the pitching (and) how it’s traveled,” Shusterman told Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy on Wednesday. “This is an offense that the Mariners’ pitching staff should be able to handle. … Tampa and Atlanta (which the M’s face after Cleveland) will be a little bit of a different story because of the personnel that they have and the ballparks that you’re playing in. But Cleveland is an offense you would like to see Seattle’s pitchers be able to handle.”

Cleveland, which sits five games behind Seattle for the final American League wild card berth, entered Thursday 28th as a team in wRC+ (84), last in batting average (.224) and 29th in OPS (.661). Just three players – José Ramírez, Steven Kwan and WSU product Kyle Manzardo – have an OPS north of .700.

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In other words, the Guardians’ offense is having even greater troubles than the Mariners’ did before their trade deadline acquisitions last year. They also play in the fourth-most pitcher-friendly ballpark. That could be the exact recipe needed for some of Seattle’s starters who are scheduled to take the mound in Cleveland.

George Kirby and Logan Gilbert are slated to pitch the first two games. Both have some of the greatest differences in home/road splits on the staff. Kirby has a 5.08 ERA on the road compared to a 3.16 ERA at home, while Gilbert has a 6.00 ERA on the road and 2.15 ERA at home. Bryce Miller get the ball in the final game looking for his first start of more than 5 1/3 innings in an injury-riddled campaign.

If the Mariners can get their pitching on track in Cleveland, it could be very helpful for potential playoff baseball in October.

“If your starters are able to go deeper, you can line (up your pitching in the playoffs),” Shusterman said. “With the off days and the way that the postseason is scheduled now … being able to have your top relievers available as often as possible just goes such a long way, and a lot of that comes on not just how often you’re using them, but how deep the starters are going in.”

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Listen to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app. 

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