SEATTLE -- The last time Nick Margevicius started a Major League game was 14 months ago for the Padres, when he gave up nine runs on 11 hits in 1 1/3 innings in Coors Field. So, yeah, there was reason for trepidation when the 24-year-old took the mound for the Mariners in his rotation debut on Saturday night.
But Margevicius feels like a different pitcher now, and the Mariners saw a new-and-improved version as the young lefty threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings in his first start in place of the injured Kendall Graveman in an eventual 5-0 loss.
It wasn¡¯t a pretty night for the Mariners, as they managed just one hit while falling to 2-7 on the homestand and 5-11 on the season, but it was a pretty fair outing for Margevicius as he offset a low-90s fastball with a 70 mph curve and limited the Rockies to three hits with one walk while striking out three.
¡°We¡¯ve talked about his fastball ticking up and he did a really nice job with all his pitches tonight, but I love the back-and-forth combo of the slow curveball and the rising fastball off that,¡± Mariners manager Scott Servais said. ¡°He can make pitches and he¡¯s certainly not afraid of attacking. I think he¡¯s going to be a nice fit for our rotation going forward. He¡¯s going to keep getting starts with Graveman being out. I like what I¡¯ve seen so far.¡±
Because Margevicius had been pitching in relief and thrown just five innings in three prior outings, Servais kept the 6-foot-5 lefty on a strict pitch count and pulled him after 61 pitches. But while the Rockies proceeded to break the game open against Seattle¡¯s young bullpen, Margevicius showed he¡¯s definitely capable of filling a spot in the Mariners¡¯ six-man rotation as he builds his arm up.
¡°Anytime you go out and put up some zeros, it¡¯s something to build on moving forward,¡± Margevicius said.
Colorado had an even more impressive debut on its side, as Ryan Castellani held the Mariners hitless -- with just one walk and a hit batter -- in four innings before he also was pulled due to a pitch count in his first start in the big leagues. Shortstop J.P. Crawford finally ended the Rockies¡¯ combined no-hit bid with a two-out single in the sixth off reliever Jeff Hoffman.
The Padres rushed Margevicius to the Majors last year, putting him in their Opening Day rotation as a 22-year-old even though he¡¯d pitched just one game above the Class-A level in his Minor League career.
The results were predictable, as Margevicius went 2-6 with a 6.79 ERA, including 0-2 with a 16.55 ERA in three starts against the Rockies. Colorado hitters went 26-for-55 (.473) with four home runs in those three games.
But Margevicius went home last winter and worked on improving his velocity. A fastball that averaged 88.5 mph last year has increased to the 91-92 range this year, while his slider has improved as well.
¡°My slider was pretty good today,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s definitely different than it was last year. Obviously, the fastball felt a lot better as I¡¯ve been working on it. All the things I saw today were the kind of things I¡¯d seen in earlier outings this season.¡±
As for the slow curve, which he used to strike out standout shortstop Trevor Story in the third?
¡°That¡¯s something I¡¯ve been throwing since I got into pro ball,¡± he said. ¡°I feel good with it. I¡¯ve kind of learned how to use it to hitters and feel confident with it. It¡¯s kind of a weapon for me.¡±
The only real damage Saturday came from Charlie Blackmon, who doubled and singled off Margevicius on the way to a three-hit, three-RBI game. Blackmon¡¯s base hit off Margevicius was followed by a one-out single by Daniel Murphy. That brought rookie Anthony Misiewicz in from the bullpen in a tongue-twister of a pitching change, with Misiewicz quickly retiring Matt Kemp and David Dahl to end the inning.
The remainder of the game didn¡¯t go as well for the Mariners¡¯ bullpen, as Blackmon ripped a three-run double off rookie Joey Gerber in a four-run fifth and the Rockies proceeded to improve their National League West-leading record to 11-3.