Mariners' George Kirby: Rebounds with dazzling start
Rotowire
Kirby took a no-decision while tossing eight scoreless innings Wednesday in a 1-0 win over the Yankees in 10 innings. He allowed just three hits and no walks and struck out seven.
Kirby put together a spectacular performance after he was roughed up by the Pirates the last time he took the mound. The 25-year-old was touching 99 miles per hour with his fastball and showed off his impeccable command of his entire arsenal of pitches. Wednesday marked the third time this season he's reached seven strikeouts in an outing and the fifth time he's gone without walking a batter. He has just six walks through 71 innings and leads all of baseball with a 9.67 K/BB to go with a 3.04 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. Kirby lines up to go toe-to-toe with the Padres on the road next week.
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Mariners' George Kirby: Hit hard by Pirates
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Kirby (5-4) took the loss Friday versus the Pirates, allowing seven runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out four over 4.2 innings.
Kirby came into this start having allowed just three homers in his first nine outings. The Pirates then launched four long balls off him, including Andrew McCutchen's blast on the second pitch of the game. This was Kirby's worst start of the season, and the second time he's given up four homers over his 35 career starts. The right-hander's ERA rose to 3.43 with a 1.10 WHIP and 51:6 K:BB across 63 innings. He hasn't had many disasters like this, though he is lined up for a challenging home start versus the Yankees next week as he looks to bounce back.
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Mariners' George Kirby: Takes loss despite quality start
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Kirby (5-3) took the loss Sunday, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk over seven innings during a 3-2 loss to Atlanta. He struck out six.
Kirby allowed a run in the first, third and sixth en route to taking the loss but still completed at least seven innings for the fourth time over his past five outings. He also extended his quality-start streak to eight consecutive contests and currently holds a 2.62 ERA and 47:5 K:BB over 58.1 innings. Kirby will look to stay sharp during his next start, which is tentatively scheduled for the first contest of a three-game weekend set versus Pittsburgh.
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Mariners' George Kirby: Extends quality-start streak
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Kirby (5-2) earned the win over Boston on Monday, allowing one run on eight hits and one walk while striking out six batters over 6.2 innings.
Kirby got through five scoreless frames before the Red Sox tagged him for a run in the sixth. He finished off that inning and got two more outs in the seventh before being lifted with two runners on base after tossing 97 pitches (66 strikes). Kirby fell one out shy of extending his three-game streak of throwing at least seven frames, but he did stretch his run of quality starts to seven consecutive contests. He's pitching like an All-Star this season with five wins along with a 2.45 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 41:4 K:BB through eight starts.
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Mariners' George Kirby: Pitches seven shutout innings
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Kirby (4-2) scattered six hits and struck out nine batters over seven shutout innings to earn the win Tuesday over the Rangers.
Kirby threw 75 of 101 pitches for strikes, which included a solid 11 whiffs. The nine strikeouts were a season high for Kirby in what was his sixth straight quality start. He's gone at least seven innings in each of his last three outings. For the season, he owns a 2.62 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 35:3 K:BB over 44.2 innings through seven starts. He'll look to keep rolling in his next turn, tentatively projected to be a road start in Boston next week.
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Mariners' George Kirby: Earns third win
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Kirby (3-2) allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out two over seven innings to earn the win Thursday over the Athletics.
It was a fifth straight quality start for Kirby, who bounced back from a tough-luck loss in his last outing versus the Phillies. While it was a solid performance, the two strikeouts were a season low for the right-hander. He's at a solid 3.11 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 26:3 K:BB across 37.2 innings over six starts, again displaying excellent control. Kirby's next start is projected to be at home versus the Rangers next week.
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Mariners' George Kirby: Excellent despite loss
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Kirby (2-2) took a hard-luck loss Thursday, allowing one run on four hits and a walk over eight innings against Philadelphia. He struck out seven.
Kirby faced little resistance from the Phillies on Thursday, as he allowed just one run in a career-high eight innings. Unfortunately, he got no help from his offense as the Mariners fell 1-0, handing Kirby a loss despite his dominant performance. Since allowing four runs in his first start, Kirby has strung together four straight quality starts. He lowered his ERA to 2.93 with a 0.95 WHIP and a sparkling 24:2 K:BB. The 25-year-old right-hander currently lines up to face the A's in his next outing.
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Mariners' George Kirby: Notches second win of season
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Kirby (2-1) earned the win Friday, allowing two runs on three hits over six innings against the Cardinals. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.
Kirby is off to a solid start in his second major-league season. The right-hander has pitched at least six innings in each of his last three appearances and also sports a stingy 1.06 WHIP. He is tentatively slated to face the Phillies on the road in his next start.
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Mariners' George Kirby: Solid in no-decision
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Kirby did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing one run on five hits over six innings in a 6-7 loss to the Mariners. He struck out four.
Kirby bounced back in his second start, allowing only one run on a Jose Ramirez sacrifice fly in the first inning. The 25-year-old worked through a tough sixth inning but escaped unharmed after striking out the last two batters in the frame. Kirby was on track for the win, but the Guardians would rally to tie the game in the ninth before completing the comeback on a walkoff hit from Josh Bell in the 12th. Kirby owns a 4.34 ERA and 9:1 K:BB over 10.1 innings pitched, and he is tentatively scheduled to return to the mound in the upcoming series with the Cardinals next week.
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Mariners' George Kirby: Takes loss Monday
Rotowire
Kirby (0-1) took the loss Monday, allowing four runs on nine hits and one walk over 4.1 innings against the Angels. He struck out five.
Kirby pitched around trouble in the each of the first four innings, surrendering RBI singles to Luis Rengifo in the second and fourth, but he was knocked out of the game in the fifth after serving up a two-run homer to Shohei Ohtani. Kirby posted 3.39 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with 133 strikeouts over 130 innings in his rookie 2022 campaign, and he figures to be a prominent piece of Seattle's rotation in 2023. The 2019 first-round pick is scheduled to pitch again Sunday in Cleveland.
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Mariners' George Kirby: Won't have innings limit in '23
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The Mariners don't plan to limit Kirby's innings in 2023 but will likely build him up slowly at the start of the season, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.
The 25-year-old logged 130 innings last season, the most he'd worked by far in a professional career dating back to 2019. Drayer notes manager Scott Servais won't look to officially limit Kirby's innings in his second season, but the fact the right-hander will slot into the No. 5 spot in the rotation will organically give him some extra time off over time. "Starting in the 5-hole (fifth spot in the rotation), he is going to get some extra rest between starts, which will be good for him as we ramp up throughout the season," Servais said.
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Mariners' George Kirby: Dominates Dodgers in latest start
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Kirby fired five no-hit innings in Wednesday's Cactus League win over the Dodgers, allowing one walk while recording nine strikeouts.
Kirby's near-perfect showing was an excellent tune-up for the regular season, with the right-hander needing just 37 pitches to get through his five frames. Kirby has now pitched 8.1 scoreless frames over his last two spring training starts, portending a standout second season following his impressive 3.39 ERA and 1.21 WHIP across his first 25 big-league starts in 2022.
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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.
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Mariners' George Kirby: Fizzles in final start
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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.
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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: 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
Rotowire
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: 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: Sleeper pitchers for Week 21 (Aug. 22-28)
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Kirby is never a bad play in Fantasy, but he tends to get yanked before he can deliver a quality start. The depleted Nationals lineup should help him achieve maximum efficiency this week.
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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.
