Battle Tested Early: Mariners Have A Tough Schedule To Start 2014

Feb 13, 2014; Peoria, AZ, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher

(left) talks with manager

during team workouts at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

How Will the M’s Look After 41 Games?

Let’s jump back through that schedule and I will give my vague, biased, and wholly optimistic predictions to the start of the season.

Because let’s face it, it’s hard not to want to throw your team an extra win or two, I will break up my records predictions in two: the Pessimistic and the Optimistic Charlie’s. The Mariners really are starting to give me split personalities disorder.

Pessimistic Charlie:

• M’s 1-2 … April 1-2 at the Angels
• M’s 2-4 … April 3-6 at the Athletics
• M’s 4-5 … April 8-9 versus the Angels
• M’s 5-7 … April 11-13 versus the Athletics
• M’s 6-10 … April 14-17 at the Rangers
• M’s 8-11 … April 18-20 at the Miami Marlins
• M’s 10-12 … April 21-23 versus the Astros
• M’s 11-14 … April 25-27 versus the Rangers
• M’s 11-17 (Cano has a poor showing in the Bronx and the M’s get booed out-of-town, the Yanks forgetting they ever had Robbie in pinstripes) … April 29-May 1 at the New York Yankees
• M’s 12-19 … May 5-7 at the Athletics
• M’s 14-21 … May 8-11 versus the Kansas City Royals
• M’s 15-23 … May 12-14 versus the Tampa Bay Rays
• M’s 17-24 … May 16-18 at the Minnesota Twins

Wow ok I don’t like pessimist Charlie one bit. If the M’s come out of the gate 17-24 the season won’t, in theory, be over.

BUT– the fans and Major League Baseball at large will write us off and call the Cano signing a failure and consider baseball dead in the Pacific Northwest.

The M’s cannot have this sort of showing to start the 2014 season, even if they have a tough schedule to start.

Optimistic Charlie:

• M’s 2-1 … April 1-2 at the Angels
• M’s 5-2 … April 3-6 at the Athletics
• M’s 6-3 … April 8-9 versus the Angels
• M’s 7-5 … April 11-13 versus the Athletics
• M’s 9-7 … April 14-17 at the Rangers
• M’s 11-8 … April 18-20 at the Miami Marlins
• M’s 13-9 … April 21-23 versus the Astros
• M’s 14-11 … April 25-27 versus the Rangers
• M’s 17-11 (I think Cano will come back with a vengeance and help the M’s to sweep the Yankees in New York) … April 29-May 1 at the New York Yankees
• M’s 18-13 … May 5-7 at the Athletics
• M’s 20-15 … May 8-11 versus the Kansas City Royals
• M’s 21-17 … May 12-14 versus the Tampa Bay Rays
• M’s 23-18 … May 16-18 at the Minnesota Twins

Ah, isn’t that a little bit more bearable? If the M’s played this well to start the year I think ESPN would start to listen. I think those 12th Man Seahawks fans would start donning our 10th Man campaign gear– by the way, jump on the Seattle Mariners 10th man wagon!

And seeing as Iwakuma will likely be out for some of those earlier games, the M’s would get out of a tough stretch to start with better health, momentum, and some youngsters ready to perform at the Major League Level.

Even if the M’s are sitting at 20-21, or 21-20, they will still be in good position to compete in the AL West.

Stick around .500, battle and battle and battle, then make a push when you need to and fight in September for a spot in the playoffs.

That’s what baseball is all about.

That’s what the Mariners need to do to start the year so people will not only watch and listen, but also believe in this team.

Potential is sky-high, and disaster is always a hairs-breadth away. I cannot wait to see what these 2014 Mariners are made of.