Offense [uh-fens, aw-fens, of-ens]

Who has misplaced my Seattle Mariners because surely this cannot be them. 7 runs? 9 runs? 5 runs? Home runs?! What happened, I was just coming out of my White Sox induced coma; waking up to a sweep of the AL Central favorites. Outside of yesterdays performance, the Mariners absolutley crushed a playoff favorite this series. Clearly Seattle has turned the corner… right?

Not exactly.

Truth be told, the Mariners’ play has been embodied in Hector Noesi’s performance–inconsistent. While it is encouraging to see the Mariners sweep an offensive juggernaut such as Detroit, it is also important to note that the team didn’t even have to face Justin Verlander. The team has faired well against Oakland and now Detriot, but not against Texas, Cleveland, or Chicago. The Mariners lack harmony. When the offense has worked, the pitching hasn’t. When Felix is dominant, the offense takes the night off. In fact, the only consistancy this team has discovered is in the bullpen. Outisde of  blown save by League, the pen has been a mighty weapon for Wedge. One that has yet to contribute the my many ulcers.

Even the day-to-day for Seattle screams of inconsistency. Chone Figgins can’t seem to make up his mind, putting together a series just good enough to extend his time here in Seattle. Smoak, after going some 0-16, belted a letter high pitch right over the wall to drive in the 3 runs. Miguel Olivo was able to prolong his life expectancy with the team by going deep himself. This team is still discovering itself; still searching for their consistancy. As it stands today, Brendan Ryan is on pace to draw 89 walks and lead this team in OBP. Ichiro leads the team in SLG%. Jesus Montero is on a 16 HR pace. These things will come to change.

I’m not trying to take anything away from the victory we earned in Detriot, sweeping the Tigers is an impressive feat. But I would hold off on saying Seattle has turned the corner just yet. I’m still not convinced. The Mariners are settling in; getting Ackely, Smoak, and Montero into a groove is what it is going to take to get this team really rolling. The secondary pieces are going to have to pick it up as well, for those three cannot carry the team on their back just yet. We’re close, but not there yet.