An injury-ravaged pitching staff that seems to change daily though an ongoing blitz of personnel moves is covering up a growing sore spot for the Mariners on the other side of the plate.
How much longer can they ride with a catching tandem of Carlos Ruiz and Tuffy Gosewisch while Mike Zunino seeks to unlock his swing on his latest remedial tour at Triple-A Tacoma?
Ruiz and Gosewisch are producing less — far less, actually — at the plate than Zunino did in his extended struggles. The major defensive metrics also say they also represent a decline from Zunino’s performance.