Mariners: Chris Flexen tosses a gem in shutout win over Rangers

Chris Flexen got the ball to start the series against the Texas Rangers, and you have to admit that you were a little nervous about how it was going to go. I know that I was. Last time out, he got shelled against the San Diego Padres, giving up eight earned runs in just 1.2 innings. An outing like that can make or break a pitcher. Are they going to come back looking to prove themself? Or will it affect their psyche long term?

We received a resounding answer from Chris Flexen, as he threw one of the best starts of his major league career. In fact, if you take a look over at baseball reference and investigate his game logs, you can see that it was in fact his best of his career, beating out a start earlier this season. He received a game score of 76 in this one, and had a score of 71 in the start against Boston in April.

Chris Flexen shut down the Rangers, and I couldn’t be happier.

It was exactly the kind of start that the Seattle Mariners needed on a few fronts. We had been giving up a lot more runs lately, the bullpen was taxed, and the team was looking to carry momentum from the series win over Cole Irvin and the Athletics.

Flexen went seven strong innings, tossing just 87 pitches, 60 of which were strikes. He breezed through the Rangers lineup, giving up just three hits and one walk.

It’s another piece of news for Mariners fans to make them feel better. Marco is coming back, Gilbert is looking a bit better and gaining confidence, and you can take a look at the Mariners’ six-man rotation and feel mildly comfortable about their upcoming performance on a day-to-day basis.

Next up for the Mariners is game two in the four-game set. Tune in tonight to see Justus Sheffield go up against Jordan Lyles, as the Mariners try and inch closer to .500. #SeaUsRise