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FanPost Friday: Mariners April Vibe Check

What if we just started the season in May instead?

By sanford_and_son
/ new
Milwaukee Brewers v Seattle Mariners
me when i step on a lego/toy car/lol surprise doll
Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images

Hello and welcome back to FanPost Friday. We are about 11% done with the 2023 season and the vibes are....questionable. Apologies for sharing this graphic again, but it’s worth repeating:

Obviously the wins and losses right now all count the same in the end, but still, that graphic provides some pertinent perspective (and a sense of humor).

But, this Mariners team has some glaring problems right now, two of which we pretty much all saw coming.

  • The second base black hole
  • The designated hitter black hole
  • Chris Flexen having a rough go in Robbie Ray’s rotation spot

Stumbling out of the gate is definitely nothing new for the Mariners, especially since this (mostly) same core of players has done so in both 2021 and 2022, only to play much better the latter half of the season and especially down the stretch. So, the rational fans among us know deep down it’s not time to panic yet, but that certainly doesn’t make watching these annoying losses in mostly winnable games any more fun. It sucks, it fact. Getting swept by the Brewers, who are definitely a good team, sucks really badly given how the Mariners were in striking distance of winning all three games at various points, but just couldn’t those key hits and outs they needed. (I highly recommend reading John’s piece from today about the lack of home runs at TMO right now.)

So, stumbling out of the gate mixed with high expectations coming off last season’s playoff run has created a lot of rancor and impatience among Mariners fans, so of course the sports radio hot take artists have been losing their shit. We all know here at LL that these folks are not to be taken seriously, and Brock Huard’s recent criticism of Julio Rodríguez reinforces that stance, as Huard derisively referred to him as “Mr Sports Illustrated cover boy, Mr. GQ” after Julio grounded out with the bases loaded to end Tuesday’s game and blasted him for not coming through in the big moment. Has Julio performed up to his own standards that we became accustomed to for most of the last season? No, not really. Did Julio struggle last April, too? Yes, mightily, although under different circumstances. Did Julio rake the rest of the season? You bet your ass. He’ll be fine, shock jocks. We know that. Leave him alone....oh shit I think he heard what you said....

MLB: Milwaukee Brewers at Seattle Mariners Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports

Yeah, he’s gonna be fine.

Anyways, onto the VIBE CHECK.

Poll

How are you feeling about the Seattle Mariners right now?

This poll is closed

  • 1%
    Great!
    (3 votes)
  • 15%
    Good
    (39 votes)
  • 58%
    Kinda worried
    (146 votes)
  • 11%
    Really worried
    (30 votes)
  • 6%
    Extremely disappointed
    (17 votes)
  • 6%
    I KILLED A MAN WITH A TRIDENT
    (16 votes)
251 votes total Vote Now

Poll

What should the Mariners do about the black hole at second base?

This poll is closed

  • 14%
    Cut Kolten Wong, let José Caballero play
    (34 votes)
  • 47%
    Let Wong figure it out, give most reps to Dylan Moore when he returns
    (115 votes)
  • 24%
    Wong will be fine, he also has April-itus, it’ll work out
    (59 votes)
  • 1%
    Other - sound off in comments
    (3 votes)
  • 12%
    Sell the team, John Stanton
    (31 votes)
242 votes total Vote Now

Poll

What should the Mariners do about the black hole at DH?

This poll is closed

  • 7%
    Let AJ Pollock and Tommy La Stella figure it out
    (18 votes)
  • 36%
    DFA Tommy La Stella yesterday
    (89 votes)
  • 35%
    Make a trade
    (87 votes)
  • 2%
    Other - sound off in comments
    (7 votes)
  • 18%
    I will do it. I will DH for the Seattle Mariners.
    (46 votes)
247 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Do you like the HOME RUN TRIDENT?

This poll is closed

  • 46%
    Yes
    (110 votes)
  • 16%
    No
    (39 votes)
  • 18%
    Not sure yet
    (44 votes)
  • 5%
    Just don’t turn it upside down!!!
    (13 votes)
  • 13%
    Someone is gonna put an eye out
    (31 votes)
237 votes total Vote Now

I would be remiss if I didn’t share in this space that WE HAVE CITY CONNECT UNIFORM LEAKS!!!!

No hats yet, but let’s hear some TAKES.

Poll

Given what you seen of the Mariners City Connect uniforms so far, what do you think?

This poll is closed

  • 15%
    Love it!
    (34 votes)
  • 20%
    Like it
    (44 votes)
  • 24%
    It’s okay, need to see the rest
    (52 votes)
  • 23%
    Safe/boring but good overall so far
    (51 votes)
  • 7%
    Don’t like it
    (16 votes)
  • 2%
    Hate it
    (5 votes)
  • 6%
    NIKE, WHERE THE F*CK ARE THE TEAL COLOR RUSH UNIFORMS?!?!
    (14 votes)
216 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Last one, given what we’ve seen so far, how do you think the rest of the Mariners season is going to play out?

This poll is closed

  • 38%
    They will be fine
    (88 votes)
  • 13%
    They will NOT be fine
    (31 votes)
  • 47%
    No idea, baseball is hard
    (107 votes)
226 votes total Vote Now

That’s all for this week. Let’s hope this weekend series versus the Cardinals is more fun. Also, GO KRAKEN. Have a great weekend, folks!

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