SEAside Thoughts: Mariners May Never Lose Again

Mariners SEAside Thoughts Week 15

“Is this Heaven?”

-All of us

• What is happening?
• No, seriously…WHAT IS GOING ON!?!?!
• The run continues. Fourteen straight victories, four straight sweeps, 22 victories in their past 25 games. Those are real numbers.
• With the rain out on Tuesday against the Washington Nationals, I had a terrible feeling it could mess with the vibes. Thankfully, Jesse Winker’s return, and possibly Cincinnati Winker’s return, helped propel a somewhat sluggish Mariners squad past the fighting Juan Soto’s.

• Speaking of Soto, you may have heard that he’s likely heading for a trade. The price will be steep, but when it does come time to make a deal, Seattle needs to be ready. It is rare for a player the caliber of Soto’s to be available at such a young age. The chance to pair Julio with Soto shoots the Mariners up the contender status, while also keeping the future bright as your two superstars are ages 23 and 21.
• I spoke last week about the challenge/opportunity of finishing the first half on the road in Texas. A series win and the Rangers were cooked. A series loss and the Rangers could be feeling like they’re still in the hunt. After this series? Case closed, good night Texas Rangers.
  • The Rangers are exactly what we all thought they were, a terrible team that spent big big big bucks on their middle infield. They’re better than last year, but that’s not saying much. I do wonder if by the time their elite pitching prospects arrive, will the duo of Seager and Semien still be viable for contention.
  • You could have been a part of this magic Marcus Semien…enjoy the 103 degrees!With the Rangers all but dead, Seattle needs to add Martin Perez and Matt Moore to their pitching wish list. I’d have Montas and Castillo in a tier above Perez, but he’s had a great season and could be a perfect replacement for the eventual replacement of Kirby this season.
  • I’m not sure what home run I enjoyed more, the Julio slam or the upper deck moon shot by Ty France.
• Those dudes are all-stars, as they should be!
• Shout-out to Chris Flexen. Grinding through a win in Washington when the bullpen needed him. He then comes through on Sunday on four days’ rest, giving the club 3.2 innings pitched. This won’t be remembered in September, but a huge sacrifice and warrior’s mentality by such a solid pitcher.

• I think the Mariners have something with Sam Haggerty. The dude is everything you could want in a fourth outfielder, but at the moment he’s playing like an all-star. Good bat, great defense, speed, and versatility. He’s a sparkplug and it showed with his epic inside-the-park home run. He’s the kind of player teams have when they win championships.
• The Mariners are 51-42, they are going into the all-star game as the red-hot darlings of baseball. They have also trimmed the Astros division lead from 14 games down to 9…I’m just saying…
• This week’s SEAside Thoughts Player of the week is a tie between Ty France and Julio Rodriguez. Seattle’s all-stars are absolutely rolling right now. It’s so good to see Ty France get hot, and I believe with the rest, we could see a huge second half from him.
• This week’s Mariner Music Mojo is I Want More by KALEO
• Good luck to Julio in the home run derby. It’s quite the honor to be in the derby, let alone as a rookie. My gut tells me he squeaks by Corey Seager, before pushing eventual three-peat champion Pete Alonso to the brink. Julio wins the rematch in the championship next year in Seattle though.

• Have a great week and enjoy the all-star game. On Friday, the Seattle Mariners go for history and continue their march on Houston.