THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: The numbers behind the Mariners' historic pitching run

You know I’m not a stats geek.

Right?

I don’t fall asleep while dreaming of what NFL defensive tackle had the most sacks in the 1950s — and how many, game by game.

I sleep fine without any of it.

However.

Sometimes a number punches you right on the lips, and geek or not, you have to know all about it.

Is it real, or just some obscure mini-fact, created by nerds to prove they’ve been paying attention to real games.

Ready?

Prior to their game last Sunday in Houston, the Mariners’ starting pitchers had allowed 20 earned runs in their previous 21 starts.

(I’ll give you a minute to get your head around that, and yes, they DO sound like stats for a soccer goalie.)

What’s more, there was amazing consistency involved In those 21 starts, since no one gave up more than two earned runs.

For more than three weeks, the Fab Five — Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller and Emerson Hancock — had nothing but good outings.

How astounding was it, really?

Well, the 21 straight starts yielding two earned runs or less hadn’t been done since ’17.

Oh, that’s 1917.

A mere 107 seasons ago, the Washington Senators had 21 starts of similar quality.

The all-time record is 22, by the 1915 White Sox.

(Need another minute for reflection?)

YOU CAN find a couple of unusual things about this Mariner rotation and, specifically, about its historic run of form.

First of all, Hancock has been an emergency replacement.

Yes, he’s near the top of the club’s prospect list, but no one had him written in to take regular starting turns for the first month and a half.

Nope.

Bryan Woo, like Miller a second-year major leaguer who performed admirably last season as a rookie, suffered some elbow inflammation near the end of spring training, so the team shut him down.

Woo was scheduled to be the fifth starter, and he’s getting closer to taking back that spot with a terrific rehab assignment at Triple-A Tacoma.

On the same day that the Mariner pitchers’ streak of two-runs-or-less starts finally ended, Woo completed his third start for the Rainiers.

He threw five efficient innings (66 pitches, 44 strikes) and gave up no runs on three hits.

In his three rehab stars, Woo pitched 11 1/3 innings — yielding five hits, no walks and no runs with 17 strikeouts.

If all stays well, Woo could start for the Mariners against Oakland on Friday night at home.

There’s actually another injury situation, and it only puts the 21-game streak of brilliance in even brighter lights.

Kirby has been pitching with a sore right knee.

The discomfort finally got to him last Friday night, and manager Scott Servais took him out after six innings (and a 3-1 lead over the Astros).

Houston won that game 5-3, one of the rare times the bullpen has faltered in the past few weeks.

AS FOR Kirby going forward, he had an MRI after Friday’s outing.

Although the Mariners chose not to reveal specifics of the scan, Servais indicated he wasn’t particularly stressed.

"Just kind of figuring out a way to just manage it," Servais said. 

"I don't think it's something that's going to cause him to miss a start or anything like that."

Another unusual aspect to that magical 21-game run from the starting pitchers has to with results.

It seems kind of strange that Seattle was just 19-15 prior to Monday night’s game in Minnesota.

That record isn’t disastrous, since it landed the Mariners on a pace to win 91 games, but it feels that such a lights-out rotation could produce even more wins.

Here’s the glitch: There were stumbles from some of those starters in early April.

Castillo was ordinary at best through his first three starts, Kirby couldn’t find his pinpoint control, and Hancock had some iffy appearances as the stand-in No. 5.

Only Gilbert and Miller were super from the start.

Fortunately, the whole gang got it together in time for a rugged 16-game stretch that finishes with this visit to Minnesota.

There are still concerns, though.

Servais will tell you there are ALWAYS concerns.

At the moment, they involve injured relievers Matt Brash and Gregory Santos.

The bullpen is thin, to the point that Servais has needed Andres Munoz to handle save situations requiring more than one inning.

That’s dangerous.

The Mariners are hoping the starters can remain healthy, stay sharp and go deeper into games as the season rolls along.

“I like our chances,” Servais said, when asked about the AL West.

“Great pitching can win you things.”

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through

Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”