A France Encounter

 

There's only been a slight improvement in Seattle since the return of Kyle Lewis, Taylor Trammell and Sam Haggerty- we've reached a separation where 5 players are doing really well, and the rest of the team kind of isn't. Oh, and the Rangers are now in 2nd place while all this is happening. 

I really, really wish the Mariners were better than they are right now. I thought adding Adam Frazier, Robbie Ray and Jesse Winker would be the detail that put them over the edge, but none of them are playing well at all right now. Robbie Ray has a lot of strikeouts, but seems to have lost the control he refined in Toronto. Frazier and Winker are just doing alright, nothing as eye-popping as their 2021s. Plus, Lewis is back on the IL, so there goes a lot of the momentum he brought in. 

And so we're just sort of left with some great seasons coming from J.P. Crawford, Ty France, Julio Rodriguez and Logan Gilbert, plus a surprise improvement from Eugenio Suarez, with not a lot of other people helping. I think a lot can come from this group; Julio Rodriguez has a shot at the Rookie of the Year if he can outrun Jeremy Pena, Crawford and France could vy for ASG roster spots, and Gilbert still has a low enough ERA that he could still be a Cy Young contender. There's no doubt that this team has potential, big piece and great energy, but it's so inconsistent. You have to wade through several games of nothing happening and the other guys showing up to actually get a decent win, and I hate that this team is still at that point.

Like with the Blue Jays in June, the Mariners are known for springing to life in August recently, and that could be what happens yet again. And it sucks that in a year where a team could very well chase the Mariners' 2001 wins mark that the current Mariners seem so reluctant to remain a consistent force in the leagues. If this were Philadelphia, I'd say that firing the manager would solve everything, though I'm not too sure of that. The Mariners have tried shit, and a lot of it just hasn't worked yet. That doesn't mean it won't work at all, especially considering that they could find their second wind as the Rangers fall back. It just means it's a tougher path than if the M's had stayed strong throughout. 

With France, Crawford and Rodriguez surging, it's not impossible for this team to make a run later. But it's unlikely enough that I wonder how they're gonna do it.

Coming Tomorrow- A guy I saw play for an Orioles affiliate before he jumped to San Fran and came to rule the team.