Flexen, who fired three scoreless innings during which he allowed a hit and recorded a strikeout in a loss to the Red Sox on Wednesday, has yet to be scored upon in seven frames across four appearances since moving to the bullpen.
Wednesday's efficient 29-pitch outing marked Flexen's second-most voluminous relief appearance in that regard, as he'd thrown 43 pitches in just two innings against Toronto in his bullpen debut April 30. The one-time starter has issued just one free pass and scattered seven hits over his stint as a reliever thus far, and his versatility should continue to afford him multi-inning assignments that may occasionally allow him to qualify for a hold or decision.
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Mariners' Chris Flexen: Moves to bullpen
Rotowire
Flexen won't make his scheduled start Saturday in Toronto and will instead be available out of the bullpen, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
Seattle recalled Easton McGee from Triple-A to make Saturday's start, and given how Flexen has pitched lately, he appears to have lost his rotation spot. Flexen has given up 18 earned runs in 12.1 innings over his last three appearances.
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Mariners' Chris Flexen: Handed fourth straight loss
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Flexen (0-4) allowed six runs on nine hits and three walks over four innings Sunday, striking out three and taking a loss against the Cardinals.
Flexen struggled right out of the gate Sunday, coughing up a pair of runs in the first inning. He allowed another run in the third before Nolan Gorman took him deep for a three-run shot in the fourth. After yielding just three runs in his first two starts, Flexen has been hammered for 18 runs over the last 12.1 frames. His next start is lined up to be in Toronto, where he'll look to lower his 8.86 ERA.
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Mariners' Chris Flexen: Takes loss Monday
Rotowire
Flexen fell to 0-3 in Monday's 7-3 loss to Milwaukee on Monday. He surrendered four earned runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five batters over six innings.
Flexen pitched better than in his previous outing, when he was hammered for eight runs on 10 hits over 2.1 innings, but he couldn't avoid his third straight loss. The right-hander notched season highs with six frames and five punchouts, but he was done in primarily by a rough third inning during which he gave up three runs. Flexen's fantasy appeal is limited by his lack of strikeout stuff -- he's fanned just 11 batters through 17.1 frames -- and his 7.79 ERA and 1.73 WHIP thus far have him off the radar outside of deep leagues.
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Mariners' Chris Flexen: Yields eight runs in loss
Rotowire
Flexen (0-2) was the pitcher of record in Tuesday's 14-9 loss to the Cubs after striking out one and allowing eight runs on 10 hits and two walks across 2.1 innings.
Flexen looked to have a clear path to capturing his first win of the season heading into the bottom of the second inning, as the Mariners offense spotted him a 7-0 lead. The right-hander proceeded to allow a run in the bottom of the second before returning to the mound for the third and completely unraveling. He was charged with seven of the eight runs the Cubs scored in the third frame to complete their comeback bid, with Trey Mancini slugging a two-run home run off of him and Nelson Velazquez mashing a grand slam. Flexen now sports an 8.74 ERA and 2.03 WHIP over 11.1 innings on the season, but despite his poor results, he may continue to serve as the Mariners' No. 5 starter, as the Mariners are otherwise lacking in appealing alternatives while Robbie Ray (elbow) is on the shelf.
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Mariners' Chris Flexen: Takes loss Wednesday
Rotowire
Flexen (0-1) was tagged with the loss against the Angels on Wednesday, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out four batters over five innings.
Flexen entered the rotation as a result of Robbie Ray (elbow) hitting the injured list. Flexen put up a decent showing, but a Logan O'Hoppe two-run homer off him in the second inning was enough to pin him with a loss. Ray is expected to be out until at least May, so Flexen should get multiple turns in the rotation. Wednesday's outing was evidence that he's capable of keeping the Mariners competitive in his starts, but the right-hander's paltry strikeout numbers over the past two campaigns make him an unexciting fantasy option.
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Mariners' Chris Flexen: Scheduled for start Wednesday
Rotowire
Flexen is scheduled to start Wednesday's game against the Angels, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
As anticipated, Flexen will enter the rotation as a replacement for Robbie Ray, who was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a Grade 1 flexor strain. The right-hander will likely make more than a handful of starts while Ray recovers, and Flexen should be reasonably stretched out after pitching four innings of one-run ball in relief of the injured Ray in Friday's game against the Guardians. Flexen doesn't miss many bats and relies on quality defense behind him, so he likely profiles as more of a streaming option in the majority of leagues.
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Mariners' Chris Flexen: Solid in long relief
Rotowire
Flexen allowed an earned run on four hits and three walks across four innings in a loss to the Guardians on Friday. He struck out one and did not factor into the decision.
Starter Robbie Ray was chased after 3.1 innings, leading to what could have been a busy night for the bullpen. However, Flexen, a member of the rotation for most of the last two seasons, ate up some valuable innings in the back end of the contest and spared the arms of several of his bullpen mates in the process. Having thrown 66 pitches Friday, Flexen is unlikely to be available again until after the weekend.
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Mariners' Chris Flexen: Will open season in bullpen
Rotowire
Flexen will not open the season in Seattle's starting rotation, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.
The Mariners will have Luis Castillo on the mound for Opening Day, and he'll be followed in order by Robbie Ray, Logan Gilbert, Marco Gonzales and George Kirby. That means Flexen will be a multi-inning relief option to begin the season despite a strong 2.65 ERA in 17 innings so far in the Cactus League. If anything was to happen to the names above Flexen would be the obvious replacement.
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Mariners' Chris Flexen: Impressive thus far in spring
Rotowire
Flexen has allowed one run on eight hits and two walks while recording six strikeouts across 8.1 innings in three Cactus League appearances.
The veteran right-hander worked all the way up to 50 pitches in his most recent outing Saturday against the Rockies as he continues to try and make a case for a back-end rotation spot. Flexen's 8-9 record last season was, on the surface, a step back from his career-best 14-6 mark in 2021. However, the 28-year-old's 3.73 ERA was his second straight sub-4.00 mark and was only slightly higher than the career-low 3.61 figure he'd generated a season prior.
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Mariners' Chris Flexen: Shifted to taxi squad
Rotowire
Flexen will not be an active member of the Mariners' opening roster for their AL Wild Card Series against the Blue Jays, starting the series on their taxi squad.
Flexen will likely be unavailable to pitch in the series barring any injuries to the Mariners' pitching staff and bullpen. The right-hander finished the 2022 regular season with a 3.73 ERA and 1.33 WHIP with 95 punchouts over 137.2 innings in 33 appearances, including 22 starts.
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Mariners' Chris Flexen: Four innings in spot start
Rotowire
Flexen allowed three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out two in four innings in a 7-6 extra-innings win in Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader against Detroit. He did not factor into the decision.
In his first start since Aug. 6, Flexen held Detroit scoreless in the first two innings. In the third, a couple of doubles led to a run and in the fourth, he gave up a two-run, two-out homer to Spencer Torkelson. Flexen has a 4.02 ERA in 121 innings as a starter and a 1.62 ERA in 16.2 innings in relief this year. He'll likely continue in a relief role if he's included on the Mariners' AL Wild Card roster.
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Mariners' Chris Flexen: Start coming in Game 1 of twin bill
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Flexen is scheduled to start the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader with the Tigers, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
Flexen was initially in line to take the hill for Game 2, but the Mariners will instead treat the nightcap as a bullpen day and have the right-hander take the hill for the early game. Since he hasn't covered more than two innings in any appearance since the beginning of September, Flexen may not be asked to work especially deep into his start Tuesday.
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Mariners' Chris Flexen: Spot start awaits
Rotowire
Flexen is scheduled to start the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader with the Tigers.
Since being dropped from the rotation in early August, Flexen has generated a 1.62 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 12:7 K:BB across 16.2 innings while picking up two saves along the way. Flexen's strong form over the last seven weeks should be enough for him to earn a spot on the Mariners' postseason roster as a reliever, but he'll be needed to temporarily step back into the rotation with the doubleheader creating a stretch of six games in five days. Given that he hasn't covered more than four innings in any appearance since moving to the bullpen, Flexen may not work deep enough into Tuesday's outing to factor into the decision.
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Mariners' Chris Flexen: Notches eighth win Thursday
Rotowire
Flexen (8-9) got the win in extra innings over the Rangers on Thursday, allowing an unearned run over one inning without any hits, walks or strikeouts.
Flexen gave up a sacrifice fly to Marcus Semien that plated phantom runner Leody Taveras with the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th, but the Mariners walked it off in the home half of the frame with singles from Luis Torrens and J.P. Crawford. The veteran right-hander's last win had come July 25 against this same Rangers squad when he was still working as a starter, yet Flexen has adapted well to a relief role by not allowing an earned run across the 9.2 innings covering his last eight appearances.
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Mariners' Chris Flexen: Four-inning save Tuesday
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Flexen picked up the save Tuesday in Detroit, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out three in four innings in a 9-3 victory.
Flexen entered the game in the sixth inning with the Mariners leading 9-0 and finished the ballgame to earn his first career save. It was the first appearance for the 28-year-old since Aug. 19 and the third straight time he's pitched in relief. There's a possibility he will receive an occasional spot start down the stretch, but he'll likely get most of his work out of the bullpen for the rest of the season.
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Mariners' Chris Flexen: First appearance out of bullpen
Rotowire
Flexen allowed an unearned run on one hit and four walks over two innings while recording two strikeouts during a relief appearance in a loss to the Rangers on Saturday.
Making his first appearance since transitioning to a bullpen role, Flexen clearly had some control issues, leading to him needing 43 pitches to record six outs. The veteran right-hander has been effective as a starter the majority of the season with a 3.86 ERA, and he'll likely be destined for multi-inning assignments akin to Saturday's while he remains a reliever.
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Mariners' Chris Flexen: Bound for bullpen
Rotowire
Seattle manager Scott Servais said Wednesday that Flexen will shift to the bullpen, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
The Mariners foreshadowed Flexen's move to a relief role during their 1-0 win over the Yankees in 13 innings Tuesday, when he was spotted warming up in the bullpen late in the contest. Flexen wasn't ultimately needed to enter the game, but the Mariners will opt to shorten their rotation to five men after he was lit up for five runs over six innings in his most recent start Saturday against the Angels. Seattle could look to bring Flexen back into the rotation later in the season if workload concerns crop up for rookie George Kirby, but for the time being, the veteran right-hander will retain little fantasy value while he likely handles a low-leverage multi-inning role out of the bullpen.
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Mariners' Chris Flexen: Surrenders five runs in loss
Rotowire
Flexen (7-9) took the loss during a 7-1 defeat in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Angels, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts in six innings.
Flexen navigated the first two innings unscathed before surrendering five runs over the next four innings to fall in line for the loss. The rough outing breaks a five-start streak of allowing two runs or fewer, during which the 28-year-old pitched to a 1.95 ERA across 27.2 innings. Flexen sports a 3.92 ERA and 1.37 WHIP with 81 strikeouts in 117 innings across 21 starts and is scheduled to pitch again next weekend on the road against the Rangers.
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Mariners' Chris Flexen: Walks four in no-decision
Rotowire
Flexen gave up two earned runs on three hits and four walks while striking out one over 5.1 innings in a 5-4 win over the Astros on Saturday. He did not factor into the decision.
Flexen held his own against a dangerous Astros lineup and left the game in line for the win after going 5.1 innings on 94 pitches. The 28-year-old right hander used the free pass defensively, and he chose to pitch around Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman by issuing back-to-back four-pitch walks in the bottom of the first before getting out of the inning unscathed. Flexen came into the game with a 1.61 ERA and three wins in July and is showing that he can be effective, even with a weak K/BB of 1.9. Flexen has struck out only 76 batters in 111 innings while issuing 41 walks in 2022. He is tentatively expected to start next week against the Angels.
