Mariners Analysis: Can the M’s Regroup in May?

It was a tough month for the Seattle Mariners in April. The season looked promising with the addition of some offensive prowess and some pitching stability. Yet, the Mariners finished 10-12.  With an opening day win and quickly falling behind in the season after being swept by the Dodgers late in the month and having faced a disaster in Houston, it comes as no surprise that the band wagoner’s of the Mariners were chanting “SEA-HAWKS” after games against the Minnesota Twins.

It’s tough being a Mariners fan. Houston swept the M’s after playing better in nearly every facet of the game this past weekend. The Angels will host the Mariners in Anaheim this week, and then Seattle will come home to play Oakland. The schedule doesn’t seem to get any easier for our beloved Mariners. Battling the Boston Red Sox for a four-game set and then heading out East to play the Orioles, the Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays. The M’s will then return home to play another four-game series against the Indians and before hosting the Yankees in early June.

The offense has been shaky at best. Nelson Cruz has been leading the charge slashing a .347/.392/.811 line but where has Robinson Cano been? Cano’s offense has yet to take off. Hitting just one home run in 24 games isn’t quite living up to all the hype. The Mariners have got to shake things up and get their runners across the plate if they want to have a successful month of May.

J.A. Happ has been quite a surprise and an absolute necessity since Iwakuma has been injured. Posting a 2.30 ERA in 27.1 IN pitched and striking out 18 batters is quite the performance. To stay afloat this month, the M’s are going to need plenty of series wins along with lots and lots of home runs from Nelson Cruz. The good news is; the M’s are only facing one first place team (so far) during the month of May and that’s the New York Yankees. Of course, things could easily turn around for any team in one series or two so let’s continue to be hopeful, Mariners fans!

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More good news is that Tom Wilhelmsen will soon be joining the team after his short rehab stint after a he hyperextended his elbow some weeks ago.

“I threw everything and felt great,” Wilhelmsen said, per MLB.com. “My timing is there, my release point is there. Now we just need to get somebody in the box and get some competitive juices flowing.”

The competitive juices must flow. Here’s to a fantastic month of May baseball!

Next: Mariners Game Recap: M's Rally, but Come Up Short

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