It's a small sample size, but Julio Rodriguez is showing improvement for the Mariners

The Mariners have been awful since June 18th. It's a date that sticks out in many a fans headspace with it being the point in the season where the Mariners went from one of the hottest teams in baseball to one of the worst teams in baseball. As with many a sport, the team seems to play as the star plays. For the Mariners, it comes back to Julio Rodriguez.

He's been struggling all season, and the Mariners were only able to fight through it because of the historic pitching stretch that they put together up to that fateful June cutoff. We finally see the end of the season approaching with just 21 games left. Is it too little too late for the Mariners? If Julio heats up, it might not be.

Julio Rodriguez is heating up... but it might not be in time

Remember the August that he had last season? .429/.474/.724 with seven homers and 11 steals. I'm not saying that the Mariners need that again from Julio in order to make the playoffs, but it sure would help. Instead, I want to look at the fact that Julio is showing signs of improving, and he's doing so in a meaningful way.

While it's a small sample size, the last eight games have looked fantastic for Julio. He isn't chasing the ball out of the zone, looking like a completely different hitter in his approach at the plate. Over those eight games, he has six walks and just three strikeouts. He only had 29 walks through 114 games up to that point, while he had struck out 128 times. This isn't going to be the new norm for him, but the better eye and patience at the plate has shown dividends in the stretch for Julio.

He's gone 11-31 with three homers and one double, driving in nine runs, good for a slash line of .355/.447/.677. That's the other important stat. He only had 40 RBI through 114 games, a number that is frankly unacceptable for your superstar. If Julio can continue to stay patient, watch pitches, and punish the ones that stay over the plate (like the near 450 ft bomb he hit in Oakland), then the Mariners might just have a chance to make up those 4.5 games on the Astros. Especially since they still have each other to play.

Julio Rodriguez is heating up right when the Mariners need him. Let's just hope it isn't too late.