At what point did you think it was over on Saturday?
When it was 2-0 Blue Jays? 3-0? 5-0?
To the Mariners’ credit, they posted four runs in the final two innings in their 5-4 loss to Toronto, but this is an offense that seems perpetually stuck in sleep mode.
The M’s are last in MLB in batting average at .216. They are 27th in runs and 28th in OPS. The offseason-acquisition trio of Mitch Garver, Mitch Haniger and Jorge Polanco had a combined WAR of -1 heading into Saturday (although Haniger did deliver a three-run homer in the eighth). Julio Rodriguez — one season removed from finishing fourth in the American League MVP voting — is hitting .247 with eight home runs. It’s July.
There is no reliable batter in this lineup. Nobody. And yet … Seattle is still in first place in the AL West. But here’s a message to the front office — there is no way in hell the Mariners are going to stay there unless they get some help.
I assume the team’s president of baseball operations, Jerry Dipoto, is acutely aware of this. Chairman John Stanton, too. This organization deserves its flowers for producing one of the best pitching staffs in baseball — an arsenal equipped for a deep playoff run if the M’s make the tournament. But they can’t hit. You know this. I know this. They know this.
So they need to get someone who can.
Two Julys ago, the Mariners traded for pitcher Luis Castillo and ended up squashing their 21-year playoff drought. It was exactly the type of move that fans have been clamoring for over the years, and it helped spawn an October fever pitch that the city hadn’t seen in two decades.
The front office earned a golf clap for that, but the die-hards shouldn’t be satisfied. Time to go all-in again. This time for a bat. It would be a Rainier-sized waste of potential to do anything but.
As you’re likely well aware of, the Astros have cut a 10-game deficit down to two over the past few weeks. And they are an MLB titan — winners of the division in each of the past six full seasons. They are not going to magically fade away. They need to be overpowered, which will require an offensive overhaul.
The question, of course, is who can the M’s go and get? Is it Arizona’s Christian Walker, the first baseman who has socked 22 home runs so far this season? Is it Oakland’s Brent Rooker, the left fielder slashing .277/.351/.540? Might it be Luis Robert Jr. of the White Sox? Or maybe, just maybe, Toronto’s Vlad Guerrero Jr.?
All appetizing names. And though there isn’t a panacea — the current Mariners need to figure out how to produce runs — a key addition is necessary.
There is no guarantee Seattle is going to land a big name. But … this is where the brass earns its keep. When a pitching staff is this talented, you can’t squander an opportunity to make a run at a title.
But this team needs help. Saturday marked the 11th consecutive game the Mariners struck out at least 10 times. They’ve done that 58 times this season. I broached the subject of the offensive shortcomings with manager Scott Servais after Saturday’s loss.
We talk about offense a lot.
“Yes, rightly so,” he said.
Is this a situation where you feel like you’re waiting for a breakthrough?
“That’s a good question. It’s fair. Am I ready to wake up one morning and say ‘OK, everything is fixed right now’? I don’t think it works that way. I really don’t. I think you continue to try to talk to guys, try to make adjustments, ultimately it’s more about consistently putting the ball in play. We talk about it all the time, early in counts, get your pitch and you gotta get it in play.”
These are the baseball basics. And it’s something the Mariners are struggling mightily with right now. A defeat at the Blue Jays’ hand Sunday would mark the sixth straight series this team has lost. It isn’t because of the pitching.
I think most fans would take this deal right now if offered before the season. The M’s have a two-game lead in the division more than halfway through the season, and they have a better record than the third AL wild-card team.
But they can get better. They need to get better. Mr. Stanton, Mr. Dipoto — this one’s on you.
