Seattle, WA
Unheralded reliever the “glue” for Seattle Mariners’ bullpen
There was a point in time when an appearance from Eduard Bazardo often meant the Seattle Mariners were on the wrong side of the game.
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The right-hander generally found himself pitching in mop-up duty or, at the very least, coming in with his team down multiple runs.
That was the version of Bazardo the Mariners had last season. In 2025, it’s been a far different story for the Maracay, Venezuela, native.
Bazardo, who was acquired in a 2023 trade after he was designated for assignment by the Baltimore Orioles, has emerged as one of the most reliable arms in the bullpen over the course of the season. He leads M’s relievers and is sixth in baseball with 73 1/3 innings pitched out of the bullpen while compiling a 2.45 ERA and holding batters to .180 average.
During a conversation with Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob on Friday, Mariners play-by-play voice Gary Hill Jr. highlighted Bazardo as an unsung hero of the club this season.
“He has really put the bullpen together,” Hill said. “He’s been the glue.”
Bazardo’s breakout year has answered a big question that was facing the Mariners bullpen, Hill said.
“Who’s going to be that next leverage guy that they really needed? It’s been Bazardo. He’s pitched in every role.”
No fluke
Bazardo’s stellar season has come after he posted a 4.88 ERA over 27 2/3 big league innings while bouncing between the majors and minors last year.
The dominance of his sinker and slider this year are a major reason for the big year-over-year improvement. Batters are hitting just .168 with .280 slugging percentage of his slider, which he throws 44.3% of the time, and .137 with a .215 slugging percentage of his sinker, which he throws 37.4% of the time.
“When you look at individual pitches, he’s got two great pitches. He’s got the two-seam and he’s got the slider,” Hill said. “So this isn’t happenstance. This isn’t luck. He’s been great, and there’s a reason for it. He’s got two elite pitches, and he knows how to use them.”
A rubber arm
The volume of work Bazardo has provided the Mariners may be his biggest impact on team, especially with the starting rotation not going as deep into games consistently as it did last year.
He’s recorded more than three outs in relief 15 times (tied for the team lead) and pitched three times in four days on numerous occasions throughout the season. He was even starting to get loose during the Mariners’ 13-inning win over the Cardinals on Wednesday, which would have marked a third straight day on the mound.
“He takes the ball seemingly every day,” Hill said. “I mean, we watched him the other night when he was down, and there he was in extra innings stretching it out, getting ready just in case they need them.”
Mariners analyst and former MLB pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith also highlighted Bazardo’s durability during a recent episode of Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy, pointing out how the right-hander’s stuff on the mound doesn’t falter while shouldering a heavy workload.
“I went back and looked at his velocity and pitch metrics on Day 2 of like a back-to-back, and nothing slips,” Rowland-Smith said. “There’s no slip in velocity. The stuff’s good. He puts up really good numbers on Day 2.”
Hear the full conversation with Mariners play-by-play voice Gary Hill Jr. at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Listen to Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2-7 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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SEATTLE – Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington. Eastern and central Washington will reach near 100F with high fire danger. The coast and north interior will be cooler, only in the 60s to 70s.
Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington.
Fire Weather Watch
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds. Lightning strikes could create new fire starts and, with very dry conditions in place, any new fire could spread quickly.
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds.
What’s next:
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and a chance of thunderstorms. The heaviest showers will be in the morning hours and will turn more scattered into the evening hours.
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and chance of thunderstorms.
Looking Ahead:
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine. We will start to see highs reach the upper 80s to low 90s by early next week.
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the FOX 13 Seattle Weather Team and the National Weather Service.
After so many disappointing seasons with the interior offensive line, the Seattle Seahawks made a commitment last offseason to improve the unit. They started one big step at a time by drafting North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel in the first round, 18th overall pick, of the 2025 NFL Draft. This one was one of the last steps for the Seahawks to create one of the most productive offenses in the NFL.
Zabel wasn’t perfect in his rookie season, but he was good enough to validate the decision to draft him in the first round, and he showed improvement. Zabel is already a favorite among some Seahawks fans and some media outlets as they love his determination and spirit. It was a big jump from the FCS collegiate level to the NFL and this season, he has a chance to show why he might be a top-half-of-the-league guard.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Higher?
The Seahawks wanted a determined workhorse when looking for a guard. That’s exactly what they got in Zabel. Last season, he appeared in 1,051 snaps, which is only 10 fewer snaps than right tackle Abraham Lucas, who had the most offensive snaps. Zabel got better as the season progressed. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 81.5 and a run-block grade of 81.2 in Week 14 through the NFC Championship Game.
There were times last season when he looked like a monster against several defenders. He was pushing some defenders completely out of the way on pulling plays and even ran to defenders after the pass-catcher caught the ball. This is the mentality the Seahawks expect him to have going into his second season in the league. He has more experience and the complete trust of the team to be a franchise player on par with Lucas and left tackle Charles Cross. If he continues to improve, he will be another steal for the Seahawks.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Lower?
There were times last season when he didn’t quite catch up to the learning curve of the NFL. Zabel allowed two sacks, four hits and 24 pressures in 2025. The Seahawks expect those numbers to decrease significantly as he is experienced and capable of playing at an efficient level. While Zabel is impressive, he might not be the best player the Seahawks have selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. That honor belongs to slot cornerback Nick Emmanwori, who is stepping up to be the steal of the draft.
Zabel is easily one of the best second-year players and is one of the top offensive linemen, but there are players behind him because they haven’t proven to be consistently explosive for the Seahawks. There is going to be even more pressure on him this upcoming season. The Seahawks hired a more run-friendly coach in Brian Fleury as offensive coordinator. His ranking at the end of the season might be much better if he improves, or worse if he fails to reach expectations.
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SEATTLE – High pressure continues early this week, leading to more sunshine and warmer afternoon temperatures. Skies will be sunny, warm and dry through the middle of the week.
High pressure continues early this week, leading to more sunshine and warmer afternoon temperatures.
What’s next:
Highs today in the low to mid 80s for parts of western Washington, with highs in central and eastern Washington getting close to 100 degrees. The coast and northern interior will remain in the 70s with mostly sunny skies.
Highs today in the low to mid 80s for parts of western Washington.
Fire Risk Levels
The Fire Risk Levels this week will continue to elevate as we see warming temperatures and increased chance of thunderstorms. East of the cascades is already dry and warm, so the increased chance of new fire starts will be something to watch with the storms.
The Fire Risk Levels this week will continue to elevate as we see warming temperatures and increased chance of thunderstorms. (FOX 13 Seattle)
Looking Ahead:
Temperatures will continue to warm for western Washington through midweek, before we see another low pressure system swing inland Thursday. This low will increase changes of showers and isolated thunderstorms on Thursday, and temperatures will be back to normal for this time of year. This cool down is short-lived as high pressure builds again and highs warm back up into the 80s by the weekend.
Temperatures will continue to warm for western Washington through midweek, before we see another low pressure system swing in Thursday.
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To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
The Source: Information in this story came from the FOX 13 Seattle Weather Team and the National Weather Service.
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