Seattle Mariners second series vs. Los Angeles Angels: 3 Up, 3 Down

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The Mariners are seven games into the 2017 season and the fanbase pretty much feels that either things are in ruins and we need to just chalk this season up as another one to forget or the Mariners are just seven games into an 162 game season and we’re still a long way from October.

There are a lot of specific storylines you can key in on with the Mariners so far in this young season, but the broad one is that it feels that this team is a couple of breaks away from being 6-1 instead of 1-6.

Friday was a rough night for the M’s.

The bats struggled against a pitcher who has only lived in the league by pitching for teams that give him ample run support. As well as struggling bats, the M’s had a tough time defensively and the bullpen floundered a bit in the later innings.

Saturday was the embodiment of the recurring nightmare Mariner fans have started having in recent years.

Pulling close in a game against the Angels only to have Michael Nelson Trout put a ball out of the park to seal the game. Again, another game that is infuriating for M’s fans because of the seemingly high winnability.

In the final game of the series, Seattle came to play. The bats woke up and they exploded for nine runs, trying their best to end the series on a good, hopeful note. The only problem was the ninth inning. It was a gut-punch for the Mariners and their fans.

Since 2011, teams leading by 6+ going into the ninth had a record of 2,529-1. That’s about all that needs to be said about Sunday.

Obviously,1-6 and at the bottom of the league is not where Seattle wanted to be after the first week of play. That said, we can learn a lot about the Seattle Mariners from the series in Anaheim. This article has three positive and negative takeaways from the weekend stint in California. This is 3 up, 3 down.

April 8, 2017; Anaheim, CA, USA; Seattle Mariners center fielder Mitch Haniger (17) is greeted by second baseman Robinson Cano (22) and shortstop Jean Segura (2) after hitting a two-run home run in the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

3 Up

There aren’t a lot of ups when the Mariners get swept by Los Angeles. There aren’t many ups when you score nine runs and lose, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any. There are 155 games remaining and you have to play them to see how it goes.

The 1-2 (and 3?) Hitters

Jean Segura has been outstanding at the plate. Through seven games, he’s looking like the 2016 NL hits leader, erasing some of the skepticism that comes with one outlier season. Hitting .333, he’s the top of the order hitter/get on-base presence that the Mariners have been looking for.

Also solid has been Mitch Haniger. The young right fielder has proven to be a solid piece in the lineup. Keyword being proven.

Some were skeptical of his ability as he was relatively new to the big league scene coming to Seattle. Dipoto spoke very highly of him in the offseason, but only plate appearances can prove his ability and he’s starting to do that.

After starting 1-for-12, he’s hit .333, with 3 big homers. In a lineup plagued with poor hitting, he’s sticking out.

Then we come to Robinson Cano. The rock of the Mariners order. He had been ice cold through the team’s first six games, 5-for-24 cold. Credit to Robbie though, he collected a hit in all the games, but the third Houston game, his average still was just a touch above the Mendoza line.

Sunday’s game in Anaheim was the season premiere of The Cano Show. He hit his first round-tripper of the season and collected five RBIs on the day. All in all, a solid reemergence of the Mariners core hitter.

Yovani Gallardo

The Mariners mid-offseason acquisition had a rocky spring. He left a lot of people wondering if he could actually bounce back from a career-worst year.

Now, Friday night was a mixed bag for Gallardo. He only made it through five innings, gave up eight hits, and now has an ERA of 5.40.

Typically playoff teams do not have a fifth starter with a 5.40 ERA, but I think it’s how Gallardo handled himself on the mound that makes him an “up” from this series.

In the third inning, the Angels led 1-0 and had the bases loaded with just one out. Facing Albert Pujols, he induced a potential-double play groundball to previous Gold Glove winner Kyle Seager. Seager misplayed the transfer and got nobody out.

The run that scored was earned because the scorer can’t assume Seager would have turned the inning-ending double play even with no error. That contributes to Gallardo’s higher ERA. He then buckled down. Getting two outs without letting another runner cross the plate.

I think, with his Friday performance he’s at least earned a little bit longer of a leash than the fans have given him.

James Pazos

The reliever looking to pitch his first full big league season has pitched 4.2 innings in four appearances this year and has yet to surrender a run. With a WHIP of 0.64, he’s really solidifying his role in the bullpen early.

Apr 9, 2017; Anaheim, CA, USA; Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Casey Fien (38) sits in an empty dugout after the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Fein gave up a home run to Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Albert Pujols (5), a single and walked two batters in the ninth inning. Angels won 10-9. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

3 Down

There’s a lot of material to run with for the down, so we’ll just look at the big broad issues. We can’t fix everything today, but things need to start getting addressed. You can’t win a division in April, but you sure can lose one, and Seattle is shaping up to do just that.

Kyle Seager and Nelson Cruz

These two names are key pieces to the Mariners’ success. Any preseason prediction that had Seattle doing anything keyed on Seager and Cruz propelling the M’s to that place.

Through the first two series, their bats have been quiet. Hitting a combined 5-for-42 they will need to put it together for the Mariners to make any noise in 2017.

Casey Fien, Nick Vincent, and Evan Scribner

I wanted to rave about how good the bullpen is and I still feel that they’ve been great. Aside from these three pitchers, this bullpen is top-notch.

I can no longer refer to the bullpen as being great because Fien on the year has a 14.73 ERA, Scribner is at 21.60, and Vincent sits at 7.36. This is a huge problem for the Mariners. These are not the ERAs of relievers on a playoff team.

With Max Povse coming off a red hot spring, Jean Machi sitting at Tacoma (career line: 12-2, 3.47 ERA, and 1.14 WHIP in 189 games), and Thyago Vieira throwing heat for Arkansas, we might as well shake things up. What’s out there right now isn’t working, which brings us to our third and final down:

Scott Servais

I thought he did a great job managing last year. He handled the position like a seasoned pro, not a first-year guy. The problem is, he is out of touch with the needs of the 2017 Seattle Mariners. He needs to shake up the lineup. He needs to shake up the bullpen.

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For Pete’s sake Scott, when your team is up 9-3 and you desperately need a win, you don’t stick your worst reliever in. You don’t stick your set-up man in.

You put in Edwin “Sugar” Diaz in to face Pujols, Pennington, and Cron–three middle-bottom hitters that shouldn’t be able to touch his fastball, and even if they do, you’ve got seven runs of leeway.

Servais should under no circumstances have let the situation get out of hand just to bring Diaz in in the mop-up role. He got two outs right away, but couldn’t manage all the pressure. By then, the Angels’ momentum steamrolled the M’s.

Scott Servais needs to realize that Dipoto and the Mariners will not put up with managerial errors costing them wins for very long.

Next: The Mariners Need To Tweak The Lineup

If he wants to keep his job he needs to send some players down, shake things up, and figure it out. The M’s have Houston and Texas coming up. If they’re not back in it by the end of that, Servais may not get to see “Ichiro Day.”

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Mariners Second Series vs. Los Angeles Angels: 3 Up, 3 Down