For the second half of
the season at least the Seattle Mariners have struggled madly in trying to
score runs. In fact right now they are 12th in the American League
in runs scored over the full season. It isn’t like they aren’t getting batters
on base because they are 5th in the AL in batting average they just
can’t bring the runners home.
Monday night playing
against the Baltimore Orioles in Seattle Mariners did win the game but scored
only two runs in a 2-1 victory and had only five hits. Of those five hits two
were triples by Cameron Maybin and Mitch Haniger however they were able to
score only Maybin who came home on a sacrifice fly to left field by Dee Gordon.
Haniger along with Segura, Cruz and Healy are the only ones
really
producing right now. Healy drove in Cano who walked for the first run of the
game in the fourth inning for the Mariners after the Orioles scored their only
run of the game. The winning run by Maybin took place in the fifth inning so
the doubt of who would win was still intact fortunately the bullpen were able
to take care of the Orioles who happen to be a good hitting team though they
have the worst record in the AL. The Mariners were unable to get no more than
five hits off the Orioles who have one of the worst pitching staffs in the AL.
Kyle Seager continues
to struggle like he has most of the season at the plate. At times he looks like
he doesn’t know what he is doing at all. In the past thirty games he is batting
.181 and as low as .148 in the last fifteen. According to general manager Jerry
Dipoto he is being kept in the lineup to see if he can snap out of his slump
since he has been a chore member of the lineup for a long time however I think
they need to give him at least a couple games off to get his head back in. The
problem is that it has affected his fielding at times as well. It wouldn’t be a
big problem either if it wouldn’t be for the fact the hitters around him except
Ryon Healy are struggling at the plate right now as well and the Mariners are
trying to make the playoffs at the same time. I would look at starting Robinson
Cano or Ryon Healy at third base for the remaining two games against the
Orioles plus the off-day on Thursday then put Seager back in on Friday night
against the Yankees to see if that helps at all.
It amazes me that
managers or even in the case of the Mariners keep players in the lineup that
are struggling at the plate without giving them a few days off. If the Mariners
were not in the playoff race then that would totally be different but that is
not the case with them. Right now the Mariners would have to win quite a few of
their remaining twenty-four games to get into the wild card. In fact I would
have to say winning fourteen of those games probably won’t be enough unless the
A’s at the same time wins only eight game which is unlikely as well. Winning
fourteen games would give the Mariners a good season of ninety-one wins however
not make the playoffs anyway. Although it would be a good season for the first
time in a long time for the Mariners they would still not make the playoffs and
that is the point isn’t after all.
So right now the
Mariners have to go with their hottest hitters in the lineup though not many
along with the pitching doing well to have the chance to make it. The offense
right now makes it very unlikely for them to make it so these guys have to rise
to another level to make it which I hope they do so.
Regardless what
happens the remaining twenty-four games with a good record Jerry Dipoto will
have another busy off-season to add and improve the team. I am sure that is
obvious to any Mariner fan that is for sure to plug some holes. In the meantime
let’s enjoy the rest of the season. Go M’s.
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