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FanPost Friday: The ongoing positive Mariners vibe shift

The Mariners are finally trending in the right direction, just like they drew it up

By sanford_and_son
/ new
Seattle Mariners v Kansas City Royals Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Hello and welcome back to FanPost Friday! Following the MLB trade deadline on August 1, the Mariners have been on an 11-4 run, including an 8-game winning streak. They currently sit 0.5 games back from a Wild Card spot. The Mariners players heard us (me) calling for a soft sell and simply said, “No, thank you. I think we’ll just win more games instead.” Simple, yet extremely effective.

Of course, all it took for the Mariners to finally pull it together was the front office publicly admitting all the cut-rate free agent moves and trades they made in the offseason were absolute dogshit (jettisoning Tommy La Stella back in May and finally giving up on Kolten Wong and AJ Pollock at the deadline) and the fact those players, in combination with key members of the team’s core slumping throughout the season, were actively dragging the team’s record out of contention. Oh, and they had to trade the team’s most steady reliever for 2 middling starters and one lottery ticket ex-prospect. But, other than that, it has really come down to phenomenal starting pitching and the lineup’s core bats finally roaring to life consistently.

After Julio Rodríguez utterly destroyed a dead-pull go-ahead home run yesterday, capping off a torrid series for Julio at the plate versus the Royals, Dave Sims observed, “As Julio goes, so go the Seattle Mariners.” It’s a lot to ask for a second-year player, but lucky for us, Julio is not your average second-year baseball player. Oh yeah, Julio is now also the second player ever to hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases in their first two MLB seasons. As one does.

The other player who has finally entered the chat is Cal Raleigh, who just became the second-fastest Mariners player ever to reach 50 career home runs. Our own Evan James remarked on the Meet at the Mitt podcast a few episodes back that Julio and Cal getting hot at the same time would make the biggest difference for this team’s playoff chances and about a week later, here we are.

Even as the team dropped two close games to Baltimore and then another close one to Kansas City, the 8-game win streak had finally given them the cushion any team needs to bounce back from a few bad games and not lose all momentum. When you spend 4 months hovering around .500, that lack of cushion feels perilous and stressful when a slump or spate of bad luck hits. Right now, this team (and its fans) can breath easier even as they roll into Houston this weekend because on the other side of that series is four consecutive series versus struggling and/or bottomed-out teams. They don’t play another team with a winning record until September 4 when they go to Cincinnati.

Heady times for these Seattle Mariners with potential to further build up that cushion and solidify a Wild Card spot if the Blue Jays begin to falter. Before we check the current vibe, take a look at where we were back on July 21. It’s been quite a month!

Okay, let’s see how we’re feeling now! Hit those polls and have a great weekend. Let’s go Mariners!

Poll

Is your belief level in this team dramatically different now than pre-trade deadline?

This poll is closed

  • 66%
    Yes
    (392 votes)
  • 10%
    No
    (63 votes)
  • 23%
    It’s the same as before
    (136 votes)
591 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Straight up, will this team in its current state make the playoffs?

This poll is closed

  • 84%
    Yes
    (505 votes)
  • 15%
    No
    (96 votes)
601 votes total Vote Now

Poll

If yes, why?

This poll is closed

  • 48%
    Julio, Cal, and the rest of the core lineup all continuing to hit well
    (264 votes)
  • 37%
    Consistently rock-solid starting pitching
    (201 votes)
  • 2%
    The bullpen bends but doesn’t break
    (16 votes)
  • 11%
    Pure luck and other teams failing
    (61 votes)
542 votes total Vote Now

Poll

If no, why?

This poll is closed

  • 32%
    The lineup will slump again
    (149 votes)
  • 9%
    The starting pitching will falter and fatigue
    (43 votes)
  • 11%
    The bullpen craters
    (52 votes)
  • 9%
    Because they were never built to make a run in the first place
    (41 votes)
  • 37%
    Baseball is cruel, man
    (168 votes)
453 votes total Vote Now

Poll

How many home runs will Cal Raleigh hit this season?

This poll is closed

  • 2%
    25
    (15 votes)
  • 4%
    26
    (27 votes)
  • 16%
    27
    (96 votes)
  • 22%
    28
    (129 votes)
  • 15%
    29
    (89 votes)
  • 23%
    30
    (136 votes)
  • 11%
    31-34
    (65 votes)
  • 2%
    35 or more
    (14 votes)
571 votes total Vote Now

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