The surprising struggles of the Mariners starters has them seeking alternatives. But the two minor league candidates they were counting on have not earned a promotion.
Roenis Elias, who lost the competition with Taijuan Walker for the fifth spot in the Seattle rotation, is 2-0 at Triple-A Tacoma. But in his most recent win, he gave up four runs on seven hits in five innings, actually lowering his ERA to 8.04.
Jordan Pries has been worse with an 0-1 mark and 9.20 ERA through three starts.
Walker did provide a bit of encouragement Tuesday night despite walking four in a loss to Houston. He allowed just one run in 5 1/3 innings and struck out eight.