Woe is the Seattle Mariners. The once “surprising” Mariners’ fall from grace continued yesterday as they were saddled with their 15th straight loss, something that has to be truly excrutiating for a team that was actually a .500 team when their skid started. I’d love to be able to tell you that things are about to get better for the M’s, but it looks like their days of darkness might only be beginning as there isn’t a good chance at them winning coming up anytime soon on their schedule.
Starting today, the Mariners finish up their road trip, but they do so against the big bad Yankees. Could they win one of those games? Sure, but I wouldn’t bet any money on it.
Things do get a little bit brighter after that, but only because they will be heading home, although they got swept in four games the last time they played at Safeco. It certainly won’t help that the Mariners will be playing host to the Tampa Bay Rays who, at 29-22, are one of the best road teams in baseball.
Their one chance at a reprieve comes after that when the almost as hapless Oakland A’s come to town. Oakland is a terrible road team and trails the season series against Seattle, 6-4. And, boy, the Mariners better make sure they get a win in that series because it will be September before another solid prospective W lands in their lap. The post-Oakland schedule looks a little something like this:
- Three on the road against the surging Angels (who lead the season series 6-3)
- Three on the road against the Rangers (who just swept them at home and lead the season series 8-2)
- Three at home against Boston
- Three at home against the Blue Jays (a .500 team on the road, so no pushover)
- Three on the road against the Rays
- Four on the road against the Indians (who are still technically contenders and are 4-0 against Seattle)
- Three at home against the White Sox (another .500+ road team who is also 4-2 against Seattle this year)
- Four at home against the Angels
Which brings us to September when they get to go to Oakland and then host the Royals a few days later.
Will the Mariners win before then? Of course they will, but who knows exactly when or how many times. It certainly won’t help that Michael Pineda, who got shelled today, appears to have run full speed into the rookie wall. And it definitely won’t help when the trade dealine passes this week and the Mariners sell off several part of their already talent-thin roster (assuming anybody thinks they have guys worth trading for, which is not exactly a given).
Sorry to be such a bummer, Seattle fans, but it looks like it is going to be a long, slow death march to the end of the season for you. On the bright side, the NFL lockout is pretty much over, so you can really throw yourself into rooting for the Seahawks now.
Also last night: David Wright homers for the first time since he was activated from the DL… Roy Halladay bounces back and “only” goes eight innings… and finally, the Cubs finally have their first three-game winning streak of 2011.
What to watch tonight: “America’s Team,” your Pittsburgh Pirates kick off a seven-game roadie in Atlanta for what could be a week that decides whether or not they are for real. This pivotal series kicks off with a peaking James McDonald doing battle against Atlanta’s bulldog veteran, Tim Hudson. Full schedule with probable pitchers here.
