The Mariners are winning. A lot. Consecutively. It's happening through methods dominant (sweeping the Angels), strange (beating Houston with 1 hit) and fortunate (last night's 9th inning). Depending on your background and world view you may find the streak to be a product of improved talent since the callups, random statistical sequencing or grainy, black n' white hustle and determination.
The true reasons are, as is typically the way in life, a mixture of those factors. Regardless of how you attribute this string of success and where you think it's going we're all having fun. Winning puts to bed arguments of stats vs. scouts, results based analysis and the mystical winning power that can be seen within certain players' eyes. I think we're all too busy having fun to care right now. It could and probably will end soon. But not today.
Lineups
Brad Miller - SS
Nick Franklin - 2B
Kyle Seager - 3B
Kendrys Morales - DH
Jason Bay - LF
Justin Smoak - 1B
Michael Saunders - CF
Endy Chavez - RF
Henry Blanco - C
Joe Saunders - P
Cleveland Indians
Michael Bourn - CF
Nick Swisher - 1B
Jason Kipnis - 2B
Asdrubal Cabrera - SS
Carlos Santana - DH
Mike Aviles - LF
Mark Reynolds - 3B
Yan Gomes - C
Drew Stubbs - RF
Scott Kazmir - P
The following is an incomplete list of sports I have had to ask a bar to turn off in order to watch the Mariners:
- Other baseball
- Football
- Basketball
- Soccer
- Women's field hockey
- Rebroadcast team dodgeball
- Big 12 softball
- National Scrabble championships
Last night I arrived at the bar an hour before first pitch. The bar was full, and full of Mariner gear. The pregame show was on the biggest TV in the place. Let's keep those games on the big TV, Mariners.