Bryce Miller is not happy. He is not entirely healthy, either.<\/p>\n
For the second time in as many Miller starts, the Mariners were bludgeoned by a National League Central team, this time in an embarrassing 19-2 defeat to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday afternoon at T-Mobile Park.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On his 28th birthday, Miller was tagged for six runs after issuing a career-high seven walks. His command and his body language were both off, and he wound up throwing a season-high 104 pitches on a day the Mariners\u2019 bullpen was thin.<\/p>\n
Sunday\u2019s loss came five days after Miller took the loss in the Mariners\u2019 most lopsided defeat in franchise history<\/a>, 22-0, Tuesday in Milwaukee.<\/p>\n Miller became the only MLB pitcher in the modern era to have his team lose by 15-plus runs in back-to-back starts, according to OptaSTATS.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, it\u2019s frustrating,\u201d Miller said. \u201cThe whole last month has been frustrating. I just gotta get back to who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n In a postgame interview Sunday, Miller did not want to use a recent issue in his lat muscle as an excuse for his recent struggles. He described it as a minor ailment.\u00a0<\/p>\n But Miller\u2019s downturn over the past month has coincided with the lat issue that first surfaced during his start in Texas on July 24, in which he did not record a strikeout for the first time in any start in his career.<\/p>\n The club decided to push his next scheduled start back a day \u2014 instead of a series finale at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles he wound up starting at home against Minnesota the following day \u2014 but since then he has taken every turn in the rotation, and the results have put into question his spot in the Mariners\u2019 six-man rotation.\u00a0<\/p>\n Over his last six starts, Miller has allowed 27 earned runs over 30 2\/3 innings, an 8.01 ERA, with 31 hits allowed, 15 walks and 21 strikeouts.<\/p>\n \u201cProbably the worst four-start stretch I\u2019ve had,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n With Saturday\u2019s arrival of Kade Anderson, the sport\u2019s No. 1 pitching prospect, it\u2019s only fair to wonder if the Mariners could consider moving Miller to the bullpen, which has been a man down for much of the season.<\/p>\n Uncertainty around the health of Bryan Woo (shoulder discomfort) has kept the rotation in limbo over the past week, and also contributed to a worn-out bullpen.<\/p>\n M\u2019s manager Dan Wilson was asked directly if moving Miller to the bullpen is something the club would consider.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re looking at all different kinds of options as we, you know, approach the end of the season here. Looking at everything,\u201d he said. \u201cObviously, we want to keep our rotation intact, but we\u2019ll see how things shake down here in the next few days.\u201d<\/p>\n The Mariners failed to carry over momentum from Randy Arozarena\u2019s heroics Saturday, when they scored three runs with two outs in the ninth inning for a stunning 5-4 victory<\/a> to claim the series win over the Cubs.<\/p>\n Leo Rivas had delivered a walkoff knock in Friday\u2019s series opener, but the M\u2019s lineup couldn\u2019t sustain their mini-breakthrough into Sunday, despite knocking out Cubs starter Shota Imanaga in the third inning.<\/p>\n Arozarena, for the second day in a row, hit a leadoff homer Sunday to give the Mariners an early lead.\u00a0It was his 20th homer, to go along with his 20 steals, making him just the fifth player in MLB history to have six consecutive 20\/20 seasons, joining Barry Bonds (1990-98), Bobby Bonds (1969-75), Bobby Abreu (1999-2005) and Willie Mays (1955-1960).<\/p>\n Victor Robles extended the M\u2019s lead to 2-0 when he stole second base, then third base and scored on an errant throw in the second inning.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Cubs (75-56) answered with five in the third inning off Miller, who allowed a leadoff homer to Redmond native Michael Conforto.\u00a0<\/p>\n Miller then walked the bases loaded before surrendering a grand slam to Ian Happ, who yanked a low splitter off the right-field foul pole to give the Cubs the lead.<\/p>\n The home runs were the only two hits Miller allowed in his 4 1\/3 innings.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s felt like all of my walks in the last month or month-and-a-half have scored,\u201d Miller said. \u201cBut when you have seven walks, I mean, what do you expect, you know? So I don\u2019t know. It\u2019s super frustrating. Like, I don\u2019t feel like that team beat me at all. I gave it to them. You give that many free passes, that\u2019s what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n In the fifth inning, Miller again walked the bases loaded, and it was only after the second walk that lefty reliever Jos\u00e9 A. Ferrer began to warm up in the bullpen. <\/p>\n Wilson stuck with Miller, already at a season-high 97 pitches, to face Alex Bregman with the bases loaded. Bregman hit a broken-bat RBI fielder\u2019s choice, the final out Miller would record.<\/p>\n On a day when relievers Seranthony Dom\u00ednguez and Carlos Vargas were unavailable, Ferrer was asked to get five outs, hardly an ideal situation for one of the M\u2019s top left-handed options, especially with the Phillies arriving in town Monday with left-handed-hitting heavyweights Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was the situation that we had at hand and, just, it ended up, you know, not going our way,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cIt made it difficult there at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n Trailing 7-2, the Mariners needed reliever Michael Rucker to wear it, as they say, for seven earned runs. Two position players \u2014 backup catcher Jhonny Pereda and utility man Weston Wilson \u2014 then pitched the final 1 1\/3 innings, combining to allow five runs.<\/p>\n The Mariners (62-69) remain three games back of the Astros and Rangers in the AL West, thanks in part to the Athletics\u2019 7-6 victory in Houston on Sunday.<\/p>\n Every AL West team is now below .500.<\/p>\n