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Well, hello and welcome back to FanPost Friday. Between two massively disappointing losses to the not-good Washington Nationals and then Félix Hernández losing his Most Recent Perfect Game status to some shithead who threw one against a “baseball” “team” called the 2023 Oakland Athletics, it’s been a uniquely torturous and morale-depleting few days in MarinersLand. I thought the vibes had gone bad after the series losses to the Rangers and Angels, but as I should have well known, There Is No Floor. I hate how that phrase will never go away.
Lots of folks have already taken a mental health break from the Mariners this season. Larry Stone wrote about his theories on why this team is pissing everyone off so much. The dangers of high expectations, things of that nature.
It all has me thinking about the handful of times during the last 10 seasons where I was just hoping against hope that the Mariners would hang around .500 up through the All-Star Break because maybe, just maybe, they’d be able to snag a Wild Card spot. There was 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021, and then, of course, 2022. The year everything finally broke right in order for our middling little team of youngsters and a few crafty vets to sneak into a Wild Card spot while no one besides folks in the Northwest were watching.
So, in order to stay within striking distance of WC spot in 2023, the Mariners need to win a good chunk of the next 10 games before the break. Will they be mathematically eliminated if they do not? No, of course not, but it will sure feel like it and the team might even go into “light sell” mode and bring up some of the borderline-ready position players from the farm like Jake Scheiner and Cade Marlowe. We’re not there yet, but if the Mariners fuck around and go 2-8 before the break, we’ll get there sooner than any of us want to.
The even worse news is....all three series are against good teams. The Rays are still in first place in the AL East, the Giants are 9 games above .500, and the Astros are still the scum-sucking, never-out-of-contention Astros. It’s a tough scene for our fellas. They’re going to need to punch well above their collective weights (and wRC+).
I’ve ranted enough, let’s see how y’all are feeling about it!
Poll
How much stock are you putting into these next three series?
This poll is closed
-
22%
A lot
(169 votes) -
14%
Whole season comes down to these games
(112 votes) -
7%
Not a ton
(57 votes) -
13%
One game at a time
(104 votes) -
4%
I don’t know
(36 votes) -
36%
I have stopped caring, you cannot kill what is already dead
(272 votes)
Poll
If they win X amount of the next 10 games, I will feel much more confident about their chances in the second half
This poll is closed
-
25%
8
(178 votes) -
38%
7
(273 votes) -
12%
6
(85 votes) -
3%
5
(25 votes) -
19%
More than 8?!?!
(140 votes)
Poll
If they only win X amount of the 10 games, I will be done with this season and prefer they go into "light sell" mode and bring up some prospects, prepare for next season, etc
This poll is closed
-
13%
5
(94 votes) -
22%
4
(149 votes) -
52%
3 or less
(355 votes) -
11%
I’m not sure
(79 votes)
Poll
If the Mariners are a game within .500 by the break, what needs to happen in second half in order for this team to make the playoffs again?
This poll is closed
-
15%
Make a trade, or multiple trades
(107 votes) -
23%
Starters need to hit closer to their career norms, duh
(166 votes) -
1%
Bullpen needs to pretty much never give up a run again
(12 votes) -
17%
At least four of the other teams in the WC race need to fall apart
(120 votes) -
41%
I’m not getting my hopes up for this season
(292 votes)
All right, y’all have a good weekend, whether you’re checked out on the Mariners or not. Fingers are crossed for some wins, or at the very least some more inspired efforts from the fellas.
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