Mariners' George Kirby: Impressed with maturity as rookie
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Kirby, who allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits and a walk over 1.1 innings in his Cactus League debut against the Rockies on Saturday, impressed manager Scott Servais with his arm care and pitch adjustments as a rookie in 2022, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports. "For a young player to be able to make those kinds of adjustments and then to incorporate into his arsenal as quickly as he was against the best players in the world, like, that's special," Servais said.
Kirby's rocky first spring outing notwithstanding, Servais has nothing but praise and elevated expectations for his precocious right-hander. The 25-year-old took full advantage of the knowledge base of the older arms on the Mariners' staff once he arrived at the big-league level in May, learning an arm-care routine and also working up to throwing six different pitches. Kirby is now experimenting with a splitter this spring in order to expand his arsenal even further as he looks to build on the 8-5 record, 3.39 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 24.5 percent strikeout rate he generated across 25 starts in 2022.
Kirby (8-5) took the loss against Detroit on Monday, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five batters over four innings.
This looked like a promising final regular-season outing for Kirby on paper, but he allowed constant traffic on the basepaths and labored with 93 pitches over four frames. Detroit tallied three runs -- two of which came on a Javier Baez homer, the first long ball Kirby has yielded in his past 14 starts -- over his final two innings to send the rookie right-hander to his fifth loss of the campaign. Kirby nonetheless put together a fine first big-league campaign, notching eight wins and posting a 3.39 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 133:22 K:BB over 130 innings. He also tossed 26.2 innings in the minors, and the sizeable workload may have contributed to a drop in velocity in his final start, per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. Kirby is expected to work out of the bullpen in Seattle's upcoming wild-card series, though he could retain a starting role if the Mariners advance to the ALDS.
Mariners' George Kirby: Stymies Rangers in victory
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Kirby (8-4) earned the win over Texas on Wednesday, allowing one run on five hits and one walk while striking out four batters over six innings.
Kirby got off to a rough start when he allowed two hits and a run in the first inning, but he found his footing from there and didn't allow any more Rangers to cross the plate. The rookie finished with his third quality start over his past four outings and notched his sixth win in 12 starts since the All-Star break. Over that stretch, he's posted a 2.63 ERA and 66:10 K:BB across 61.2 innings. Kirby will likely make one more regular-season start, and his strong second half should earn him a spot in Seattle's playoff rotation in the likely event that the team qualifies.
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Mariners' George Kirby: Can't get out of third inning
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Kirby gave up five runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out one over 2.1 innings in a 9-5 win Thursday in Oakland. He did not factor into the decision.
Kirby was in trouble throughout the start as he allowed multiple baserunners in each inning he pitched. He managed to keep a run from scoring in the first two frames but allowed six of the seven batters he faced in the third to reach safely with five eventually crossing home plate. It was his shortest outing of the season and just the second time in his last 13 starts that he allowed more than two runs. His next start will likely be in the middle of next week against Texas.
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Mariners' George Kirby: Whiffs eight in loss
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Kirby (7-4) took the loss during Saturday's 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Angels, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk with eight strikeouts in six innings.
Kirby permitted single runs in the first and fourth innings, which turned out to be enough for the loss as Seattle managed only one run on a Taylor Trammell solo home run in the eighth. The 24-year-old faced the minimum in his other four frames, and the eight strikeouts match his second-highest total over his last 11 turns. Prior to Saturday's loss, Kirby had won five of his last seven starts, and he possesses an impressive 2.03 ERA with 50 strikeouts across 44.1 innings in his last eight turns. He carries a 2.98 ERA and 1.12 WHIP into his next start, currently scheduled to come midweek.
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Mariners' George Kirby: Fans six in win
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Kirby (7-3) earned the win over Atlanta on Saturday, pitching six innings and allowing an unearned run on three hits and no walks while striking out six batters.
Kirby was dominant through six frames, allowing just two baserunners -- one of whom was wiped out on a double play. He yielded a single to lead off the seventh and was pulled after the next batter reached on an error, but Seattle's bullpen did a good job of limiting the damage, and Kirby was tagged with just an unearned run. The rookie right-hander finished with his ninth quality start of the campaign, and he recorded his fifth win over his past seven starts. Kirby has rewarded fantasy managers who stuck with him after some early-season growing pains. Since the start of July, he's posted a 1.99 ERA and 66:7 K:BB over 58.2 innings.
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Mariners' George Kirby: Solid in rain-shortened start
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Kirby allowed a run on three hits and struck out two without issuing a walk over three innings in a no-decision versus the Guardians on Sunday.
Kirby was cruising through three innings, but a massive rain delay ended his outing early. He ended up throwing 27 of 39 pitches for strikes in the abbreviated start, and he's still yet to walk multiple batters in any of his 20 outings this season. The rookie right-hander has a 3.15 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 109:16 K:BB through 105.2 innings, with the short start Sunday potentially helping his cause as some unplanned workload management. He's projected for a tough home start versus Atlanta next weekend.
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Mariners' George Kirby: Five scoreless in win
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Kirby (6-3) earned the victory Tuesday in Detroit, striking out five in five shutout innings while allowing two hits and a walk.
Kirby made easy work of the Tigers' lineup, scattering two hits and retiring the side in order in three of his five frames. With Seattle leading 9-0, the rookie was removed after five innings, having thrown 79 pitches. It was the ninth straight start in which he allowed three or fewer runs and he is 4-0 with a 2.17 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 58:7 K:BB and no homers allowed in 49.2 innings during that span.
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Mariners' George Kirby: Fans nine in no-decision
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Kirby didn't factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing one run on eight hits over seven innings in a 3-1 loss to the Nationals. He struck out nine without walking a batter.
The rookie right-hander was impressive once again, firing an efficient 85 pitches (69 strikes) before exiting with the Mariners down 1-0, but his teammates were at least able to take him off the hook for the loss with a run in the eighth. Kirby hadn't worked more than six innings in a start since July 2 as Seattle keeps a close eye on his workload, but he still sports a 2.43 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 40:4 K:BB through 33.1 innings since the All-Star break.
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Mariners' George Kirby: Picks up win
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Kirby (5-3) earned the win against the Angels on Wednesday, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out seven and walking one over 5.2 innings.
Kirby's outing Wednesday was a mixed bag, though he ended up with a solid result. He gave up three earned runs and six hits while throwing 63 of 94 pitches for strikes and allowed only one walk and struck out six batters while falling one out short of a quality start. Kirby has lasted six or more innings in just two of his last seven starts, a sign that Seattle may be limiting his innings. The righty will take a 3.47 ERA into his next outing.
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Mariners' George Kirby: Picks up fourth win
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Kirby (4-3) earn the win over the Rangers on Friday. He gave up two earned runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out five over 5.2 innings.
Kirby looked comfortable pitching on the road in Arlington, giving up only a couple of runs on a sacrifice groundout and single before coming out of the game having thrown 83 pitches. The rookie right-hander has shown impeccable control since entering the big leagues. Kirby boasts a 7.2 K/BB, having struck out 86 batters in 85 innings pitched while only issuing 12 walks. The Mariners are intent on monitoring Kirby's use down the stretch, so his upside is likely going to be limited by a pitch count going forward. He is tentatively expected to make his next start at the Angels next week.
