Well Then

As demoralizing as last weekend's walkoffs were, at least they were walkoffs. A walkoff is immediately unpleasant, but they allow you, after some time, to look back and think "well, we were close."

There was nothing close about this one. There was nothing close about any of these. Maybe that's not fair - today was tied into the seventh, and yesterday was tied into the sixth - but then the Angels didn't quit, and the Mariners did. The M's wound up getting outscored 27-7 in this three-game sweep, and though the Angels didn't have to face Felix or Lee, the M's didn't have to face Weaver. This shouldn't have been as lopsided as it was.

The M's came in winners of three in a row, riding a wave of momentum many hoped would propel them into the race. Momentum, though, is only as good as the next day's pitcher, and the next day's pitcher was Ian Snell. The M's lost by six. Then they lost by nine. Then they lost by five. Every step forward taken against Minnesota was reversed this weekend. Every single one. The whole Twins series feels like it happened a month ago.

So now what? The M's didn't lose any ground to the Rangers today. It's still eight, and they're heading into Texas for a four-game set. With Lee and Felix going Monday and Tuesday, hey, possible momentum! We could do it again!

But then you've got guys who aren't Cliff Lee. Who aren't Felix Hernandez. Guys with Major League ability, but lacking in trust. No matter what happens in front, who's going to feel confident about the back half of this series? The unbalanced rotation is a blessing and a curse. It works wonders when you've got the guns coming up, but after they've passed, boy do the odds of winning drop off.

I'm not going to say that the M's need to do this or need to do that. They don't need to sweep Texas, and they don't need to win three. Even getting swept wouldn't close the door on a miracle. There's no sense in pretending that the fate of the entire season depends on the next four games. But they are four important games - four of the most important games we've faced in a while - and it's clear that this team needs to pick it up in a hurry if it wants to stand a chance. And after this weekend, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who believes they can do it.

• I don't really know what happened with Chone Figgins and Don Wakamatsu between innings, but my gut reaction is that (A) the umpires again overstepped their bounds, and (B) Chone and Wak got lucky. 
• Go have a good Sunday night.