George Kirby Uses New Curveball Grip In Wednesday's Start
Seattle Mariners right-hander George Kirby proved in his start on Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays that he can have success while making changes on the fly. Kirby decided he didn't like the action on his curveball and how it worked against right-handers, so on Tuesday he decided to change his grip for the pitch. He took it into his start on Wednesday, throwing it just six times, but he got five swings on it, including two whiffs, two foul balls and a ground-out. Kirby used all five of his pitches to deliver his 10th quality start of the year, giving up one run on four hits while walking one and striking out seven in six innings of work. He's allowed two runs or fewer in each of his last six outings, posting a 1.70 ERA in that span. In 37 innings pitched over that time, he's struck out 40 and walked only three. The 26-year-old is in the zone right now and is a must-start in fantasy.
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby looked sharp on the mound during Wednesday's start against the Tampa Bay Rays. The right-hander struck out seven batters while allowing only one run over six innings during Wednesday's win. Kirby gave up an early run off the bat of Yandy Diaz, but he held the Rays in check after that. The 26-year-old has allowed two earned runs or less in six straight starts. He'll take a 3.35 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 96/9 K/BB into a tougher matchup against the Baltimore Orioles next week.
George Kirby Strikes Out Six, Picks Up Win Saturday
Seattle Mariners right-hander George Kirby turned in an excellent start in a 7-5 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday. Kirby allowed just one unearned run over six innings of work while striking out six and walking two to earn the win. The veteran hurler racked up 16 swinging strikes in the outing while improving his record to 6-5 on the season. Overall, Kirby has a 3.54 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 84 strikeouts over 86 1/3 innings of work this season. Kirby is a nice anchor starting pitcher for fantasy gamers and should be in starting lineups whenever he takes the mound. His next scheduled start is set for Friday on the road against the Miami Marlins.
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby threw six innings of one-run ball but did not factor into the decision in Wednesday's 2-1 walk-off victory over the Astros. Kirby scattered six hits and did not walk a batter while striking out eight. It was a much-needed strong outing after allowing five earned runs in each of his last two starts. The righty's record stands at 4-5 on the season with a 4.08 ERA (3.33 FIP), 1.02 WHIP, and a 21.1% K-BB%. The former first-round draft pick gets another chance to keep things heading in the right direction in a favorable matchup against the A's on Tuesday, a team that has the second-most strikeouts and third-lowest team batting average in all of baseball.
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby got things back on track in Monday's 6-2 win over the Royals. Kirby turned in seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and no walks with six strikeouts. He also hit two batters. The 26-year-old is now 4-3 with a 3.58 ERA, a 9.12 K/9 rate, and a 0.89 BB/9 rate in nine starts and 50 1/3 IP. He will face a tougher matchup in his next scheduled start at the Orioles, but fantasy managers should feel comfortable starting him unless they have the luxury of better alternatives.
Seattle Mariners right-hander George Kirby (knee) has been cleared to make his next start this Wednesday to face the Twins in Minnesota. Kirby threw 88 pitches in his most recent start last Friday against the Houston Astros but dealt with a right-knee injury, which put him up in the air to make his next start. Apparently the 26-year-old's injury isn't serious enough to keep him from taking his next turn in Seattle's rotation, but fantasy managers may want to be a little extra careful when deploying him against a Twins team that just had their 12-game winning streak snapped on Sunday by the Boston Red Sox. Kirby has been good in his seven starts so far in 2024, going 3-2 with a 3.76 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 41 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings, so fantasy managers in most single-year leagues will probably want to keep him in their starting lineups.
George Kirby Undergoes MRI On Knee, Optimistic To Make Next Start
Seattle Mariners right-hander George Kirby (knee) had an MRI on his right knee on Saturday as a precaution. Mariners manager Scott Servais is optimistic Kirby won't miss any time and will make his next start Thursday against the Minnesota Twins. The 26-year-old was pulled from Friday's outing against the Houston Astros after just 88 pitches. Kirby's knee injury doesn't sound serious, and the MRI results should confirm the severity of his issue. He owns a 3.76 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and a 41:4 K:BB across 38 1/3 innings in 2024. Fantasy managers should continue to roll with Kirby as long as he's cleared for his next scheduled start on Thursday.
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby (knee) has been dealing with a right knee issue, manager Scott Servais said following Friday's 5-3 road loss to the division-rival Houston Astros. Servais said that it's not a major problem, but it's one that the team is monitoring. It likely explains why the M's opted to turn to their bullpen with Kirby pitching well on just 88 pitches through six innings, as the hurler had given up only one run on four hits and zero walks with three strikeouts for a no-decision on Friday. The 26-year-old right-hander's status is worth keeping an eye on ahead of his next scheduled start, which tentatively lines up for Wednesday against the surging Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Over his last four starts, Kirby holds a 1.13 ERA with a sparkling 28:2 K:BB across 24 innings, but the Twins are scoring 7.3 runs per game during their current 11-game winning streak.
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby has been a big reason why the team has a 1.58 ERA over their last 19 games since April 10. After yielding 13 runs in his first 14 1/3 innings (three starts) of the 2024 regular season, Kirby has turned it around for a 1.00 ERA and a 25:2 K:BB across the subsequent 18 frames (three starts). The 26-year-old All-Star right-hander will take the ball in a tough spot on Friday for the start of a three-game weekend set on the road against the division-rival Houston Astros, but in three career starts against Houston, Kirby owns a 1.62 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 14:3 K:BB across 16 2/3 innings. The current Astros roster is batting a career .218 (12-for-55) with zero extra-base hits against Kirby, who'll have plenty of DFS tournament appeal on Friday's full slate.
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby put up his second straight underwhelming start on Tuesday versus the Toronto Blue Jays. Over four innings, Kirby allowed eight hits and five runs. The good news is that his command was there with no walks, but he only struck out three on the evening. Kirby entered the season as a potential Top-10 option and managers will want to remain patient this early in the season. Looking forward, Kirby will look to get back on track versus the Cincinnati Reds on Monday.
