It is nearly June, and James Paxton is not injured, nor is he slumping. This is an anomaly.
Paxton has it easy, though. Dee Gordon, Mitch Haniger and Robinson Cano are all out with injuries, or, in the latter's case, possible steroid use. This is also a year where two team heroes, Nelson Cruz and Felix Hernandez, aren't playing like themselves, and their team's biggest legend just retired halfway through the month (sort of like the last Mariners legend who retired with the team).
So...while the Mariners are currently in 2nd place, in front of the Angels (currently faced with a series against the Yankees), they're partially waiting for the other shoe to drop. Yes, the team is better than expected, with a definite push from the youth movement, and FINALLY a star turn from James Paxton, but their shortcomings right now are their lack of a leader, since all three possible options are on the DL (or slumping). Kyle Seager's been with the team longest out of this current lineup, but he's forgotten how to hit for average, so by default Jean Segura's been dubbed the leader, which he's been doing fine with.
A helpful move, though, was yesterday's trade for Alex Colome and Denard Span. The former will be a nice setup man for Edwin Diaz, one of the best closers in baseball right now, while the latter will be a nice source of leadership and a trusted, surging presence in the outfield. It definitely helps the cause.
I'm not sure how much longer the Ms will be in 2nd place, but I doubt they'll be completely out of the race anytime soon.
Coming Tomorrow- Surprise! This guy's team is now in first, after the previous 1st place team completely fell apart. Now he's got to help them earn it.
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