Seattle Mariners: The 2014 Wild Ride Season

To quote Lou Brown from Major League II “I LOVE THIS **** AND I MAY MOVE TO ENGLAND“! That’s what a lot of Mariners fans are and have been saying for most of this amazing up and down season. (Maybe not the England part)

From last December when M’s fans began tweeting “World Series” after hearing that Robinson Cano had signed a 10-year, $240 million dollar contract with the M’s, to Felix Hernandez‘s lightning King’s Court against the Blue Jays, this season has seen its exciting and tough moments.

The season began of course with Cano’s signing, but Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik wasn’t done there. He then went out and signed Corey Hart to a one-year deal, traded for first basemen Logan Morrison, signed closer Fernando Rodney to a two-year deal, and then just before the season began signed veteran pitcher Chris Young to a one-year deal.

Zduriencik made moves and people were hoping for productivity, well with Hart it didn’t come and it still hasn’t.

The season got off to a great start as the Mariners swept the Los Angeles Angels in a 3 game series, the Mariners through the first 12 games started out a nice 7-5. But then all of a sudden it was like the air was let out of the Mariners balloon. The M’s went on to lose 8 straight games and the fans began to think “here we go again”. Kyle Seager not only ended the longest losing streak of the season but he himself began to wake his bat up after hitting only .156 through the first 20 games.

Through the next 12 games the Mariners went on a tear going 10-2 including a two game sweep of the New York Yankees. The M’s finished the first half with an impressive 51-45. After starting the 2nd half losing 10 of their first 16 2nd half games, the Mariners finally woke their bats up by winning 9 of their next 10 games, which helped them in the Wild Card standings.

It wasn’t just their bats that helped them, their starters and bullpen were a big part of them pulling off such a winning stretch.

The Mariners after that though would go up and down and up and down. Its been stressful beyond belief, but thankfully the Mariners have remained in good position to possibly make the postseason with a Wild Card berth.

Currently the Mariners are back 1.5 games in the 2nd AL Wild Card. That is only because the Mariners have been failing to gain ground when either one or two of the top teams lose.

Hisashi Iwakuma and Young have been looking like they are running out of steam. Kuma in his last 6 starts has posted a 2-3 record with a terrible 9.25 ERA and in 4 of those starts he’s gone less than 5 innings.

Young hasn’t been better. In his last 5 starts he’s 0-3 with a 8.36 ERA, the Mariners cant have both their Comeback Player of the Year and 2nd ace pitching like this with only 7 games left.

Its crunch time for the Mariners. If the team has any hope of making the playoffs they need to capitalize when both the Oakland Athletics and the Kansas City Royals lose.

In my opinion the Mariners need to win at least 5 or 6 of their final 7 games to have a shot. Manager Lloyd McClendon needs to be smart as well and make good lineup choices and stop with the micro managing of the bullpen. Oh yeah, and never put Yoervis Medina in another game again!

One more week left for the Mariners, whether the team makes the postseason or not, fans cant argue that this season has been a great improvement and they should be excited for the 2015 season already.

Clutch hits, great pitching, and just plain getting hits and scoring runs are a key to this final week for the Mariners. The M’s are flying for a clash with their North of the Border rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays. Hopefully the Mariners could get a 4 game sweep or win 3 out of the 4 games.

To all fans keep faith in the team and Go Mariners!