Examining every missed Mariners opportunity in 2022 ALDS

Oh, man. I still don’t know how to feel. It’s been a couple of days since the Mariners lost Game Three of the ALDS to the Astros, going down 1-0 in the 18th inning. There are so many emotions, thoughts, and feelings that it is hard to figure out truly how you feel.

Pain, at being swept by the Astros. Of all teams, it had to be them. Walkoffs and Go-Ahead’s included.

Sorrow, at the season being over.

Despair, because it’s so easy to fall into it as a Mariners fan.

Yet…

Joy, at finally watching playoff baseball again in Seattle.

Wonder, at how much this team can still grow and improve

Appreciation, at seeing a team full of love for baseball, and seeing a town start to care and love for the Mariners again.

It’s definitely a two-sided coin.

We will have a lot more out through the rest of the offseason examining players, the team, and our thoughts. A lot of positivity. There is so much to be happy about, and I truly do believe that the good part of it FAR outweighs the bad part.

For now, though, I want to look at the missed opportunities that the Mariners had in each game, and remind us all how close we were to playing more baseball against the Astros. Each opportunity likely would’ve changed future ones, but they are still worth looking at individually. This isn’t to draw scorn at how badly we failed but instead is designed to provide hope at showing how close we came to pushing them to their limit.

Mariners Game Two Mistakes: A Luis Castillo hanger

I was worried about this game. After blowing a game, and doing so in allowing one of the biggest comebacks in the history of the postseason, I was worried the Mariners were going to come out flat. It would be easy to do, especially against Framber Valdez.

It took until the 4th inning, but the Mariners put up 2 runs and gave themselves a 2-1 lead. They had a huge chance in the 6th to score a bunch of insurance runs, loading the bases and knocking Valdez out of the game. Hector Neris came in, and got Cal Raleigh to ground out and end the inning. Huge props to Raleigh for what he has done, playing with a fractured thumb with torn ligaments.

Luis Castillo got the first two outs in the 6th, before giving up a single to Jeremy Pena. Then, he left a 2-seamer a little too close to the plate, and once again Yordan Alvarez would punish a ball, depositing it into the Crawford boxes in LF, giving the Astros the lead.

The Mariners still had chances. They got two on in the 7th with walks to Crawford and France, but Suarez couldn’t capitalize. Santana got on in the 8th, but nothing else. Frazier got on in the 9th to lead it off, and then awful luck happened. Crawford hit a seed down the first base line… right to the first baseman, who sauntered over to the bag for the double play. Julio ripped a 2B, which was so close to being a game-tying 4-4 2B. Instead, France would go down on strikes, and the game was over.

Mariners Game Three Mistakes: Can we please just have a run?

Who would’ve thought that 17+ innings of scoreless baseball could’ve been so exciting? Before we get to how they did in this game, specifically, I want to bring up just how well the Mariners pitching staff did in the series. They gave up 13 runs, but seven of those were to Yordan Alvarez. I know baseball is a team game, and a big power hitter like that can hurt you. To limit the rest of this lineup to just six runs in 36 innings is incredible.

At the same time, we have to look at how poor their hitters fared. Sure, a game like this brings everything down, but the lack of depth was apparent.

• .195/.264/.313 – Mariners (.230/.315/.390)
• .217/.273/.388 – Astros (.248/.319/.424)

That SLG is awful. There is no way around it. The good news is, as you can see, that it wasn’t just the Mariners that struggled to hit. Huge shoutout to the pitching staff for shutting down Altuve, as he went 0-16 with one BB.

This game though… the Mariners had some real opportunities to close it out, and couldn’t capitalize on any of them. Especially as the home team. They had nine chances where all they had to do was score a run, and the game would’ve been over.

It started in the second inning. The Mariners got back-to-back walks to start off the inning, but couldn’t capitalize. Santana and Frazier flew out, and Kelenic struck out to end the inning. The next chance didn’t show until the 8th when Julio crushed a ball at 112 mph off the bat. Unfortunately, he hit it just too low (only 15 degrees), and ended up with a 2B. France would strike out, and the inning was over.

Another chance showed in the 9th, with a leadoff single. A fielder’s choice was followed by an HBP, and we had runners on 1st and 2nd with just one out. A strikeout by Santana and fly out by Frazier would send it to extras… and the game was now halfway over.

A double play would end the 12th, and then in the 13th Julio was once again on 2nd with two outs after a single and a SB. France couldn’t capitalize, and we would keep playing. Santana would get to 2nd in the 17th with two outs, but as is the theme of the game, the inning would end on the next batter.

The Mariners went 7-60 in this game, drawing just three walks. That’s awful, and there isn’t much else to say. I am super proud of this team though. Blowing game one, coming out strong in game two, and the pitching staff pitching incredible in game three. They just never gave up… which isn’t something you can associate with Jesse Winker it sounds like.

Yes, the 2022 season is over. It’s not the end though. Things are going to keep getting better, and Seattle might just be turning back into a baseball town. Keep your heads up, Mariners fans.