Julio Rodriguez takes ownership of Mariners 2024 offensive struggles

It feels like a broken record with how I start these articles off sometimes, but the Mariners' offensive struggles just seem to resonate throughout the realm of baseball when talking about the team. Normally, it's the fans that you hear talking about those struggles and how it bothers them. This time around, it's actually one of the players on the team, and none other than the Face of the Franchise himself, Julio Rodriguez.

"I feel bad... Like, I personally feel bad when I cannot do the best I can to support the pitchers whenever I’m hitting. Because they show up every night and give us a chance every night."

Julio Rodriguez via Adam Jude

Hearing this from Julio actually gives me hope for the rest of the season. Sure, it could just be words for the media without much meaning behind it, but I think that it is more than that. When your leader comes out and publically says that he feels bad because he and the offense aren't doing their job to support the pitching staff, it's a good sign.

It's not a case of him throwing teammates under the bus, either. It would sound bad if he said something along the lines of "Man, we really have a couple of guys in this lineup that aren't pulling their weight and it's dragging the team down". That isn't what happened though. It was focused on him. That he isn't doing what he can to help this team, and that it's weighing on him.

""I don't want to talk about like having a hot streak. What I would like to have is a consistent footing ... Really good teams are really good teams every single day, no matter what, if they lose or win."

Julio Rodriguez via Daniel Kramer

Could this provide a spark to the offense? Whether it's a coincidence or not, the Mariners came out on fire in Sunday's game against the Pirates to avoid being swept, with every single starter in the lineup getting a hit. It was too late to win the series, but helped them get at least a single win in Pittsburgh before heading to LA to play the Dodgers.

There are 37 games left in the season, and it's far from over. Yes, we are getting close, but a strong finish and the playoffs aren't out of the question, and the season isn't over by any means. It's good to see Julio Rodriguez taking ownership of the offensive struggles on the team, and if his ankle can hold up, it sure would be nice to see this offense start putting it together to finish out the year... and Julio's comments this weekend could be the reason why.