Mariners vs Cubs: Polanco Pops Off, Miller Makes Mincemeat of the Opposition, and Superstars Give Us Hope

Best Moment: Julio and Ty drive in three runs in the series opener

If the Mariners want to be truly successful and live up to their full potential as a team, Julio Rodríguez and Ty France need to be at full strength. Both players have struggled to get started, especially Julio who has a dismal .441 OPS. We got a glimpse of what would happen if both were as lethal as they were in 2022 after they combined for three RBI against Jordan Wicks in the first game, eventually sealing the game for the Mariners.

2024 has not been too kind to Seattle's usual superstars. In addition to Julio and Ty's struggles, Cal Raleigh and J.P. Crawford both have OPS numbers under .600 and are batting <.200 thus far. The Mariners have never been hot starters and tend to enjoy playing with the heartstrings of their loyal fans so the optimist in me suggests waiting until May before really passing any judgment.

In 2022, the Mariners were 38-42 on July 1st. What followed was an insane 13-game win streak that eventually gave them enough momentum to propel them to October baseball. In 2023, the Mariners were 39-42 on July 1st. By the end of the season, they had two fewer wins than the eventual World Champion Rangers.

We know that Castillo, Kirby, Raleigh, France, Crawford, and Rodríguez are great players. They've earned that reputation already. When things are clicking, we've caught glimpses of it. We've got 146 games left in the season so the team has plenty of time to turn it around. Long story short: don't lose hope just yet.