The Mariners’ only off day in a stretch of 31 games is Monday. It happens to be not at home but on the road in Detroit, not high on the list of resort destinations. But the development is fairly representative of the baseball experience of the past three months, which has had all the rhythm of hiking boots in a clothes dryer.
From the recklessly demeaning public remarks of then-club president Kevin Mather in spring training that led to his ouster, to an episode of COVID-19 infections that impacted four relief pitchers and has sidelined their best guy, Kendall Graveman, since May 19, the Mariners have produced two feats of industry-wide distinction: They have used the most players (46) and have the worst team batting average (.206).
Yet somehow they are 30-31.
In most precincts of baseball, that is a nothingburger. In Seattle, home of baseball incrementalism, it is a feat rich in epicurean majesty.
After beating the Angels in Anaheim Sunday 9-5 (box) to split a four-game series, the Mariners finished a stretch of 14 consecutive games against the American League West with a 9-5 record. Yes, Mariners-savager Mike Trout was out hurt. But regarding injuries among other teams, the Mariners make the polite request to shut the front door.
The Mariners have been twice no-hit, shut out seven times, lost a game 16-1 and as recently as Saturday, blew a 5-1 lead to lose 12-5. This team is a Marvel Universe movie, Manhattan catastrophe scene, waiting to happen every day.
Even Sunday, the Mariners emerged from under a pile of bricks, re-bar and crumbled drywall.
Angels starter Patrick Sandoval induced 32 swings and misses, most of any pitcher this season. According to Sportradar via Associated Press, it is the most swings and misses in a loss in the pitch-tracking era, since 2008. Yet when they weren’t striking out 14 times, the Mariners were getting 10 hits and five walks.
They did it often enough to help create the first career win for a pending superhero, rookie starter Logan Gilbert. It took him 105 pitches over five innings, but he held the robust Angels lineup to one run, two hits and four walks, while striking out seven. Most of that came after Gilbert on his first pitch gave up a homer to Justin Upton.
First W in the books for @logangilbert22. #SeaUsRise pic.twitter.com/uNThQycKTc
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) June 7, 2021
A youngster of placid demeanor on the mound, he finally was exuberant post-game on video conference.
“It’s crazy and it’s awesome,” Gilbert said of his first win. “It’s a moment I’ve dreamed of for sure. My family is here (from Florida), so it’s awesome to have them here and see the first win. It’s really special.”
Manager Scott Servais, who is pulling together ingredients faster than a taco truck cook at lunch hour, was thrilled.
“He really made some big pitches against some big-time hitters,” he said. “I thought his competitiveness late in his outing was outstanding.”
Much of the current treading of water is being done by unfamiliar people, such as Donovan Walton, Jack Mayfield, David Zamora and J.T. Chargois, doing unheard-of things until the regulars return. The Mariners have had four of their six intended starters (James Paxton, Marco Gonzales, Nick Margevicius, and now, Justin Dunn) miss, or will miss, at least one rotation start.
Starting LHP Yusei Kikuchi, who looked Saturday as if he would be out awhile after taking a hard one-hopper to his right knee, is progressing well with treatment for a bruise and might be ready for his next scheduled start Saturday, according to Servais. CF Kyle Lewis is supposed to make a decision Monday about whether to have surgery for a torn meniscus.
Monday afternoon update: After 23 games with Seattle, and hitting .096 (8×83) with seven runs, two doubles, two home runs, six RBI, walks, 26 strikeouts, OF Jarred Kelenic was sent back to AAA Tacoma, where he played six games before being called up May 13.
My suspicion grows that Mather is a warlock who put a curse on Kelenic for spurning a contract offer a year earlier, then being cocky about it. Mine is not a popular theory, but I’ll bet no one has thought to demand that Mather lift the curse.
All Kelenic need to do was get two hits every 10 at-bats to be the same as everyone else in the lineup, which at the moment is good enough to be 1.5 games the lesser of the New York Yankees.
It is true that the Mariners are a minute from falling apart. But imagine if Kelenic could have gone two-for-10 and the Mariners started to fall up. It’s an underrated superpower.
19 Comments
The Mariners are an enigma, at times one can watch and wonder out loud, how in the hell can any of these guys be in the major leagues? Yet they somehow seem to keep their nose above water, barely. Your comment regarding Kelenic not going to learn much by being sent to Tacoma is puzzling. What is he learning now in the show, to be confused and at times clueless at the plate? The amount of pressure on his shoulders must be tremendous and continuing to run him out there everyday and watching his BA slowly sink into the abyss can’t be good for his confidence. I say send him down to get his confidence back by raking AAA pitchers and possibly someone in Tacoma can see something in his swing or approach that apparently Servais and his staff aren’t capable of figuring out. He’s gonna be great, but he was brought up too soon. Oh and while they’re at it send Evan White with him, he too was brought prematurely as well. But that would require Dipoto to eat a slice of humble pie or a plate of crow. What’s the chances of that?
The same fans demanding that Kelenic make the Opening Day roster or be called up, are now demanding he be sent down. “Humility” and “Dipoto” is an oxy moron….like “Trump” and “truth.”
Not sure I can count the fans’ hands from here on who admits to saying what.
I do think Dipoto has eminent reasons for humility, but like every guy in his position, there’s no money in admitting it.
Demand?
I do know that in 1986 Jose Canseco had an 0-40 streak and won rookie of the year. That was before steroids were really trending in baseball. I also see Trammell came back from demotion to become productive. So it’s hard to say there’s a one-size-fits-all methodology. I wouldn’t object to a demotion; I just think he’s the kind of kid that will overcome at the MLB level.
You mentioned Trammell as coming back from Tacoma being more productive. If I’m not mistaken it was mentioned by Mike the Barrel Up Blowers that the coaches in Tacoma made a change on his hand position and it assisted in his increased production at the plate. My thought was it couldn’t be that simple could it? I was under the assumption that the minor leagues sole purpose was to instruct and develop talent ready players for the show. Players in the bigs are constantly striving to get better but they’re there to produce and win games not trying to learn how to hit left handed pitching. That should be considered a minor league thing.
Your comment that he’s that type of player that can overcome his short comings eventually, and hopefully he will. But it’s like playing with fire. Mike Zunino was a prime example of that in my opinion. Keep him up, the season doesn’t matter anyways, but it would be a shame if he doesn’t come around because Dipoto made the jump, Kevin Mather, the gift that keeps on giving. At least the new Mariner President will get that squared away. Oh wait, there isn’t one.
Your excellent post touches on every point that is relevant. If, heaven forbid, Kelenic does not pan out, like Zunino and Ackley, I place the blame squarely on Mather. His big mouth created the situation where calling up Kelenic too soon was necessary to quiet the noise surrounding service time manipulation.
Mather is a product of the malignancy of this current ownership group. Stanton and his posse is an off shoot of Chuck Armstrong and Howard Lincoln. They sucked off the same Nintendo teet which makes them culpable in the Mather debacle. They knew what he was and tolerated it like the old regime. If they weren’t aware of his shenanigans, that’s makes them incompetent. But hey, ya can’t fire the ownership. That means that the fan base is stuck with basically the same mentality that has plagued this franchise from the get go. It’s all about that “ True Fan Experience”.
All true. When Mather stepped in the doody and had to resign, Stanton stated that Mather did not represent the Mariners or its culture. Well, I call BS on that. Mather was a Mariners upper management “leader” for 25 years, enjoying a number of promotions. For Stanton to state that Mather did not represent Mariners “who we are” is ridiculous. Mather was a shaper of the culture of disrespect to its employees, like Marco Gonzalez or Lorena Martin.
Stanton has shown no sign that he’s any different than his predecessors. Talks a big game when he took over ownership of the M’s and saying we’re going to build a championship franchise. Tic Tok Tic Tok. If this new kids on the block plan doesn’t pan out, then what? Stanton allowing Mather to resign instead of coming out and making a statement by firing him. Was nothing more than a behind closed doors pat on Mathers behind and a thank for your service send off. 43 years and counting.
Mechanical adjustments can be made at any level, any time. It takes a hitting coach with a discerning eye and a willingness to study video.
Even great athletes fall out of rhythm. Think about this: Why don’t a lot of NBA players shoot 100 pct from the free throw line? Hell, the ball isn’t even coming at them at 100 mph.
As far as a new club president, I think Gutekunst in Green Bay needs to lose his current job first. Should be soon.
So it takes a hitting coach with a discerning eye and a “willingness” to study video to help a struggling player out? So how does that shake out with the M’s current staff? As far as free throws, just refer to Shaq. I got nothing on the NBA side of things. When the Sonics left. I checked out.
I’m fully aboard with the curse-of-Mather theory. it’s the only possible explanation. that place is full of ghosts: the huge specter of Chuckenhowie still haunts those unhallowed halls, and I’ve heard of other sightings too: a Figgins, the odd Betancourt or Spiezio, and sometimes, in the darkest corners, even a Smulyan or an Argyros. I wouldn’t be caught dead there after dark. Day games only, from now on.
As I learned watching The X-Files, the truth is out there. No baseball logic applies to this much resistance to success.
Art, you had me laughing out loud multiple times. Thank you! Mather did not curse the M’s. They were cursed long ago by Stuart Symington.
You and I may be the only ones to get the Symington reference.
You may be right; I have no science-based retort for creation and maintenance of baseball curses.
Great article, Art, with wonderful aphorisms of hiking boots, taco truck cooks and mid-town Manhattan meltdowns. It’s a ‘Margin Call’ for players instead of cash. There seems no where else to turn, no one else to turn to, nothing more to churn. These are the cards they have been dealt and you have to play them, as you have said in the past. But .096 as a BA? It’ll be months of Sundays before we see that number again. .50, .100, .150 are all fairly easy to reach. Not .098 or .096. Emblematic of the difficulty to hit something thrown right at your bat. I wish Kelenic well. He’ll be back.
Thanks.
Too much pressure on Kelenic from all sides, including inside.
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