Demoralized

The Bad News Gets Worse

Recently

There is no more denying it..the Mariners are bad, really really bad and they are getting worse. After Saturday's crushing defeat and the blown save by David Aadrsma on Friday, it seems as though this series just might be the straw that breaks the camels back. Vargas throws a gem on Friday night and the offense actually shows some improvement but once again the bullpen blows a sure win. Throwing Cliff Lee seems like the only time we can be assured a win but a stagnant offense and the bomb given up by League late in the game Saturday proved once again that the Mariners should get comfortable in the basement of the AL West. Oh yah and the M's have lost 6 of 7 after winning the 4 game series against the Twins.

Offense

How bad is the offense?

Oh its bad.. Last in home runs, 27th in BA, RBI's and hits. Ichiro and Josh Wilson have been the only consistent hitters all though Milton and Figgins have both brought their averages up 10 to 15 points recently. Without any true power in this lineup we'll see struggles to score all year.

Pitching

The Pitching was suppose to be the staple of this club but the starters have been average and the bullpen has been awful of late. ERA of just over 4.00 is good enough for 15th of the league but the Mariners have struggled in the strikeout department with only 377 k's (26th overall). Why is Snell still in the starting rotation? He needs to be moved to the bullpen where he could come in for a few innings to build confidence that he is truly lacking. The days where Rowland-smiths starts would be good opportunities for him since no one is expecting much when the aussie tosses.

What to do

Its obvious that it's just not working. Jack Z says he has all the pieces we need but can you really tell me that having Guerrero would have been a bad thing? Sure the Rangers have a pretty good club but without Guerrero's big bat in that lineup I don't think you see them sitting atop the division. Thats in the past and there's nothing that can be done about it now so what can be done right now?

• First move that should be done is moving Snell to the bullpen and bringing French into the starting rotation.
• Next make the Cliff Lee trade to the Yankees happen. Sure it would be nice to have a few CG wins from Cliff this year but building toward the future is more important and we could really use a good young catcher that can swing the bat. This trade needs to be done sooner than later because if the Mariners keep playing like this Cliff's stats will get less impressive.
• Lastly keep switching up the lineup and make sure Saunders continues to get playing time. He has a decent shot to win AL Rookie of the Year and that would be good for the Mariners if they decide to package him up and trade for a big bat next year.

This season's expectations were set far too high and the fact that they are playing this bad just makes it seem even worse. Not much has changed..like usual its gonna be a long tough season.

Jace P.