Here are some sobering projections.
The Mariners are on pace to win 64 games (rounded up). All-Star 2B Robinson Cano, from the No. 3 spot in the lineup, is on pace to hit six homers and drive in 41 runs (rounded up). The Mariners are on pace for 29 walk-off losses (rounded up there too). 
As Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times noted Friday, the Mariners will likely have to play .600 ball the rest of the way to be in the running for the postseason after posting a .393 winning percentage through the first 28 games.
At 11-17, the last-place Mariners have lost six of their last seven and are coming off a 4-6 road trip that ended with a pair of walk-off losses that came after the offense finally showcased a pulse. Yet, only Cano, Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager are hitting better than .250.
They have begun a nine-game homestand Friday night at Safeco Field against the Oakland Athletics. With Lloyd McClendon’s club already 7.5 games out of the division lead, the next couple of weeks have more importance than most imagined it would before the season.
GM Jack Zduriencik told reporters this week that it’s time for players to start living up to the high expectations.
But who’s to blame for this early-season calamity? Time to weigh in.
[polldaddy poll=8854620]
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="2202975 https://sportspressnw.wpengine.com/?p=2202975">4 Comments
The weaknesses of the roster were evident from the start but I question if Jack was limited by ownership on what he could sign in the offseason. Wouldn’t be the first time. Too many early call ups during his tenure as GM. It hurts a players development.
I voted “all of the above” with the caveat that that Lloyd McClendon
deserves little blame except for maybe buying into (or at least propping
up) the preseason hype. He let Felix pitch a complete game already,
which I never thought I’d see.
And if you blame Jack Z, then you
could also blame most of the other ‘experts’ and pundits who thought the
off-season moves were good ones. I thought they were pretty good.
It
really just comes down to the players. Pitching and offense are the
real culprits so far. The line-up – besides Nelson Cruz (and only
Nelson Cruz) – has been awful. Cano and Seager are both
under-performing. The rest of the line seems as bad as ever. The
bullpen: extremely disappointing. Starting Rotation: not good, but I
think will come around.
In other words, The Mainers player
strengths from last year have weakened, and their weaknesses from last
year have not improved. Yes, they all ‘should’ be better than this, but
that’s been the story with this team year-in and year-out for more than a
decade, and most of their history.
just need an awesome may. i’d bring up jesus to play dh. ichiro in the outfield would have been the move too. only a million and has more rbis than every mariner but cruz and seager so far.
I selected pitching, but if there were a write-in category, I would’ve entered “overconfidence”. Let’s see how they respond to being chastened thus far.