SEAside Thoughts: Good Vibes Only for Mariners in Week 9

SEAside Thoughts Week 9

“Hmmm… 6-3 in the past 9 games. To quote a popular Beach Boys song, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice’ if we take the Houston series as well.”

-Stealing a quote from my good friend Brad, who’s stealing a quote from the Beach Boys

• Good Vibes Only!
• The Seattle Mariners needed to continue their momentum that came from last weekend’s surprising series win over Houston, and they did it…barely.
• Seattle got their nine-game road trip started off right by pummeling the Baltimore Orioles 10-0. Scoring ten runs in Baltimore without hitting a home run deserves some recognition. Stupid new ballpark dimensions.
• The Mariners are playing better, but they will not fully dig themselves out of the hole they cannonballed into if Robbie Ray can’t get it together. The bad inning came early as the O’s put a three-spot on the board in the second inning of Game 2, an eventual 9-2 loss. The Mariners paid Ray to be their ace and get Seattle to the playoffs, not to pitch like a 5th starter.
• Seattle won the series over Baltimore, thanks to a clutch hit by Abraham Toro in extra innings. While Seattle won the series, I came away impressed with Baltimore. I think they have some solid pieces, and within the next year or two, I think they’ll be a team we may see in the postseason.

• Good Vibes Only!
• Congrats to Penn Murfee on getting his first career win in the series opener against the Rangers. He’s been a revelation this year, which has been vital considering the issues the bullpen has faced.
• Since the 10-0 win to kick-start the homestand, Scott Servais has been on a cold streak when it comes to calling for pinch hitters. Through the road trip, pinch hitters are 0-5 with two walks. Almost all of these moments have been with runners in scoring position or the potential for the game to swing. He’s way better at managing than I ever could dream to be, but I’d rather let the guys that have been in the flow of the game keep the bat and their confidence.
• Eugenio Suarez has rightfully taken the Kyle Seager baton, terrorizing the Texas Rangers as a Mariners third baseman. Mr. Good Vibes put the M’s on his back in Texas, going 5-9 with two home runs and seven RBIs. With his ninth-inning go-ahead home run in game one, and his game-tying double in the ninth of game three, there’s a real chance Seattle gets swept. Who would have thought back when the Cincinnati trade was completed that Suarez would be the prize of the trade. Winker on the other hand…
• Shout-out to Diego Castillo for a major bounce-back week. Three innings, six K’s, and two wins later, is this the Diego we traded for last year? Would be nice.
• Sunday’s comeback win surpassed Friday’s win, as the biggest win of the year. Down by three with only two outs left, Seattle stormed back with four straight hits, including a home run by Ty France who had been ice cold the past few games. The Mariners took advantage of poor execution by the Rangers, scoring in the tenth on a wild pitch. With the win, Seattle is now 4-1 in extra innings.

• More importantly, the Mariners lead the season series with Texas 4-2. It’s possible that could play a role in postseason tiebreakers if these two teams are in the hunt. Plus there’s nothing better than beating your division rivals.
• Good Vibes Only!
• The New York Yankees are currently 39-15 good for a .722 winning percentage. That winning percentage over the course of 162 games equals 116.9 wins…Bad Vibes!
• The Angels have gone from the best story in baseball to one of the most embarrassing. Tied with the Astros for first place only two weeks ago, the Halos have lost eleven…ELEVEN straight games, including a walk-off loss yesterday to the almost equally disappointing Philadelphia Phillies. Trout is in a career-worst slump, and the Angels have officially fallen under .500…Good Vibes!
• Speaking of good vibes, besides Julio and Ty France, the best story on this team so far has been the development and potential dominance of both Logan Gilbert and George Kirby. The duo combined to throw eighteen innings with eighteen strikeouts and gave up only three earned runs. Gilbert is going to be an all-star and Kirby is looking the part of a top end of the rotation starter. These two guys being hits is fantastic for Seattle’s future.
• I wrote last week about how important the next twenty games of the season were to the Mariners. It wasn’t easy, but they went 4-2, and have won three straight series. The journey gets tougher from here, but so are reinforcements.
• Erik Swanson and Ken Giles are on rehab assignments, as is Justin Upton who’s getting warmed up to join the big league club. Kyle Lewis will hopefully be cleared soon from his concussion. I’m not holding my breath on Mitch Haniger or Tom Murphy, but you can see the depth in the bullpen and offense slowly coming back.
• Seattle is 24-30, and sits only 3.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox for the final playoff spot. The Sox will be in town this week, setting up the potential for Seattle to be right in the thick of it, or lose the valuable ground they have gained in the past nine games.
• This week’s “Mariner Music Mojo” is Alive by NEEDTOBREATHE.

• Good Vibes Only!