Dad strength eludes Gonzales in return

SEATTLE -- The on-again, off-again season continued for Marco Gonzales on Saturday, and it left Seattle’s No. 1 starter still seeking a rhythm and more consistent routine as the midway point of the season nears.

Armed with 12 days’ rest after a stint on the paternity list, the first-time father was fresh on Saturday, looking to build upon his promising end to June and put his elongated struggles of 2021 behind him.

But after a 7-3 defeat to last-place Texas at T-Mobile Park, the Mariners fell to 4-6 in his starts this season, putting him in drastically unfamiliar territory, given that they were 24-21 with him on the hill from 2019-20 and 71-106 with anyone else.

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“These guys have been playing great,” Gonzales said of the Mariners, who are 44-40. “It's really tough to come back and join the team and not be able to contribute.”

Gonzales was hit hard and exited earlier than he or the Mariners would’ve liked against a Rangers club that had lost each of its past 13 games in this ballpark dating back to July 24, 2019. The left-hander left pitch after pitch over the plate, and Texas made him pay for it. Gonzales exited after 3 1/3 innings and was charged with six of the game’s seven runs, with the other accounted for via a fielding error while he was on the mound.

The stat that stood out most were the three homers he surrendered, bringing his season total to 13 in 10 starts. Gonzales gave up just eight long balls in 11 outings last year, when he was one of the top starters in the American League, and arguably the most underrated.

But this year, the cerebral Gonzales has had two significant halts to his diligently mapped-out routine. The first was a five-week stint on the injured list due to a left forearm strain, and the most recent was a nearly two-week stretch between starts due to the birth of his first child.

The latter is obviously a positive, and Gonzales has thrown regularly between starts to stay ready while remaining in Seattle on the club’s most recent road trip. But there are intangible factors that are lost when being removed from the clubhouse for an extended period.

“I think all starting pitchers, those days in between starts, they get so routine-orientated,” manager Scott Servais said. “And how the bullpens go, the weight workouts, the arm-care programs, and then also, being around the club. So, it has been a lot of start, stop. You have to deal with those things as a pro, and Marco's certainly a pro.”

As for his actual stuff, it’s not just that opposing hitters are connecting against Gonzales, it’s how they’re doing so that has created more concern this year. Given his lack of elite velocity and spin, Gonzales makes his living on 1) precise location on the edges and in specific hitters’ weak zones, and 2) the command of his secondary pitches. And both attributes have been out of sorts most of the season. Gonzales .322 expected batting average entering Saturday was among the highest in MLB.

Gonzales gave up seven hits, but they were allocated for big-time damage, with five going for extra bases. Of the 14 balls in play against him, half were hard-hit (anything 95 mph or higher), and the Rangers averaged a 97 mph exit velocity against him. Those numbers would be alarming for any pitcher, but especially one who relies on weak contact.

From here, Gonzales is in line to start next Sunday against the Angels, the final game of the first half. So, he will again be in line for an extended stretch between starts, at least if the Mariners don’t re-slot their rotation after the All-Star break.

“This year has had its adversities, to say the least,” Gonzales said. “I think it's had a lot of ups and downs, starts and stops, and for me, I'm not the type of person to make excuses or to blame anyone besides myself. And it is something that I do need to get on a better rhythm and in a routine and be able to help this team win a few more ballgames.”