Oh, How Sweep It Is

And How Even Sweeper It Could Be Later This Week (26-19)

From the second week of April into early May nobody in the baseball world could deny that the Ms were on an absolute heater— at one point going 16-5 and winning 9 series in a row (the most since 2003). 

But still— something didn’t feel quite right— After all, we were doing all of this without Logan Gilbert, without George Kirby, without the “real Bryce Miller”, and without our opening day DH, second basemen, and right fielder. How the hell were we winning all these ballgames? Despite the success, the reality was (and is) that we are a broken roster with many of our best pieces sidelined by injury. Surely something must give.

Mother’s Day weekend feigned the beginning of our biggest fears. 

After getting our wings clipped in a disappointing series with the Blue Jays— the Ms managed to scrape 1 of 3 against Aaron Judge and the Yankees at home before heading down the I5 corridor to face the red-hot Dads of San Diego. 

This was it— not exactly the end of the season, but the beginning of Seattle baseball reality inevitably rearing its ugly head. The fall of the first sad domino of many sad dominos to come— I mean it had to be?

The catch?— it wasn’t. Not yet.

Battered and bruised, the Mariners limited Tatis-and-gang to 3 runs of offense TOTAL throughout the 3 game set— leaving them 0 for 21 with RISP, while putting up a respectable 15 runs ourselves. Gutsy performances by Logan Evans, Emerson Hancock and early Cy-Young candidate Bryan Woo led the way, bolstered by their individual confidence in the face of adversity. The end result— a meaningful sweep of our own. A strong wind stopping any sad domino in its tracks.

What could have been a momentum devastating scuffle ended up materializing as a re-enriched definition of who this team is and why and how they are able to continue winning baseball game at the clip they are winning them.

Onto The Next!

Today the Mariners begin a 3 game set in the south side of Chicago against a struggling White Sox club. If they can take care of business in the Chi— as they should— we will be back on track with maintaining a promising handle on the AL West and the rest of the season as important pieces make their way back to the active roster. It’s okay to have hope, and it’s okay to have restraint. Both things can be true at the same time.

Cheers,

Noah