Mariners v. Tigers: 3 Up, 3 Down

3 Up

The Mariners showed up in the last two games of the series. They were night-and-day different in games two and three from game one. Things are starting to click for Seattle, and if they can buckle down the things the we talked about on the last page, then maybe we can hold onto 2017’s proverbial towel a little while longer, before throwing

it in.

Offense on offense on offense

The Mariners brought their bats to Detroit. Every

one did. Even in the meltdown that occurred Tuesday, they collected nine runs on fifteen hits. Jean Segura is back and just as good as he was. Haniger went two-for-two before leaving the game with the oblique strain. Cano’s batting average is climbing steadily. With five multi-hit games on the season, four have come in the last nine games. Cruz’s resurgence should also be noted. Now hitting .308, he has silenced the critics who were worried after a slow start. The Mariners really seem to be picking up their offensive game.

Big Maple

James Alston Paxton. My goodness. The man is playing outside of his mind. In 32.1 innings this year, he has an ERA of 1.39 and a WHIP of .835. Fun fact: He has more starts of 7+ IP with 0 runs allowed (3) than every team but the Royals and Cardinals who he trails by one and is tied with respectively. Paxton is showing the MLB that he has legit Ace stuff, and that is huge for the Mariners if they wan’t to capitalize on the Cano/Cruz/Hernandez window.

The Flow Bros

Taylor Motter and Ben Gamel emerged from this series as winners. Both hit well, played solid in the field, and their hair seems to blow up Mariners’ twitter at all times.

Motter, seemingly, can do no wrong. His groundouts get forgiven when he steps up an AB later and gives a lucky fan sitting in the center field bleachers a souvenir. Motter has a WAR of 0.6 as a utility player who wasn’t been an everyday player until the injury bug struck Seattle. He has five homers with 13 RBIs in 61 plate appearances. Pair that with the stellar defense he displayed when getting the last out of Thursday’s game, and he’s ceme

nting himself as an everyday player even when the M’s are at full health.

Gamel in his first two games of the 2017 campaign only hit 2-for-8, but one of those hits knocked in Kyle Seager to win the game for the M’s.

Let’s be real here, I really just lumped him in with Motter because he played fine enough that I justify calling them “The Flow Bros.”

Next: Mariners happy to see Paxton bounce back

The Mariners are in a tough place right now. If they can keep their head above water and hold their ground in the division race until Felix and Haniger come back, there may be hope. By the time they come back, Drew Smyly will be nearing his return and the Mariners can start putting it all together. That said, if the team falls apart now, this season could be over before the All Star Break. Only time will tell, but this team looks oh so close to the breakout it needs.