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Hello and welcome back to FanPost Friday! Tonight we will witness the on-field debut of the new Nike City Connect Mariners uniforms as they take on the hated Houston Astros. I appreciate all the discussion last week, it seems the community is mostly positive about the uniforms, especially the jersey.
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In spite of my harsh reactions to the black pants and hat brim, I am excited to see how they look in action. If nothing else, the new threads will definitely give the players and the crowd some extra hype to draw upon as the team takes on its divisional foe for the first time since the Astros eliminated the Mariners from the playoffs last season. If you’re going to the game tonight, give ‘em hell!
Moving on to today’s topic, which is the historically strugglebus month of May for these Mariners. In particular, the Jerry Dipoto era Mariners since 2019 have had a rough go in May, as we discussed last season in mid-May when they were 6-12 for the month.
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The 2022 Mariners finished May 10-18, so the trend of rough Mays since 2019 continued on. As we all know, the 2022 Mariners had a banger second half of the season and made the postseason. The 2021 Mariners almost did the same thing after a fairly first few months of the season, but fell just short of the playoffs. Since 2021, the core players have become fairly set, give or take, so the 2023 team is set to either buck or continue this trend of struggling through May. Let’s see what lies ahead.
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They got an important sweep of the desperate and nothing-to-lose Athletics, good job. Then it’s back-to-back series versus the two best teams in the division, then a wacky road trip to Detroit, Boston, and Atlanta. Those will not be easy series to win. Then it’s back home for the aforementioned dumpster A’s, the surprisingly decent Pirates, and the good ol’ Big Apple pinstripes. So yeah, not exactly an easy slate! Ending up around .500 would be a win in my book, anything above that would be phenomenal.
After a frustrating April, looking ahead at another potentially rocky May feels emotionally daunting as a fan because our expectations have been set higher after making the postseason. However, the org didn’t use the offseason to get significantly better, making mostly lateral moves, and so here we are with a washed Kolten Wong, a now DFA’d Tommy La Stella, and an injured Dylan Moore. Not to mention that Teoscar Hernández is striking out at hair-pulling rates and Ty France has forgotten how to hit. Oh and on the pitching side, Andrés Muñoz is still out and we won’t see Robbie Ray again until mid-2024 most likely.
So, is it by nurture or by nature that the Dipoto Mariners continually trip over their own shoelaces in May, only to hit their stride in the second half? Is it by design or just a product of ownership being cheap with free agency? Last season, Dipoto was able to pull off THE BIG DEADLINE TRADE (TM) and land Luis Castillo, which obviously made a huge impact on their second half performance and on into the playoffs. Will that kind of trade be necessary and/or even possible this season? I, for one, am excited to find out.
But, let’s hear what y’all think!
Poll
Will the Mariners have a winning record in May 2023?
This poll is closed
-
34%
Yes
(76 votes) -
22%
No
(49 votes) -
38%
Right at .500 for the month
(86 votes) -
4%
Undefeated, never losing again
(10 votes)
Poll
Is the early season struggle intentional/by design for the Dipoto era Mariners?
This poll is closed
-
3%
Yes
(8 votes) -
25%
No
(54 votes) -
46%
There’s no way to logically answer that question, dummy
(99 votes) -
4%
Ask me in a month
(9 votes) -
20%
It’s ownership’s fault, not Jerry’s
(43 votes)
Poll
Which series do you have the lowest expectations for a series win?
This poll is closed
-
27%
Astros
(59 votes) -
13%
Rangers
(29 votes) -
0%
Tigers
(1 vote) -
5%
Red Sox
(11 votes) -
46%
Braves
(98 votes) -
0%
Athletics
(1 vote) -
4%
Pirates
(10 votes) -
1%
Yankees
(3 votes)
Poll
Which series do you have the highest expectations for a series win?
This poll is closed
-
4%
Astros
(9 votes) -
1%
Rangers
(4 votes) -
8%
Tigers
(18 votes) -
1%
Red Sox
(3 votes) -
0%
Braves
(0 votes) -
78%
Athletics
(166 votes) -
1%
Pirates
(4 votes) -
3%
Yankees
(7 votes)
All right, enjoy City Connect debut night and let’s see some dang wins against the Astros this weekend. Be safe and kind to one another. Let’s go Mariners (and GO KRAKEN).
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