Major League Baseball Team Outlook: Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners will want this season to end as soon as possible. They have failed to get things together and are now on one of the worst runs ever in Major League Baseball history. Before midseason, the Mariners were going strong and were in contention
with the top teams with a winning percentage of .500 but as soon as they registered a win-loss record of 43-43, wins seemed to evaporate for the team.
The Mariners ended the first half on a five-game losing streak and many believed that the break will prove to be fruitful for the Mariners to get their act together and find winning ways. However, this was not the case for the side from Seattle who returned
from the All-Star break only to be annihilated by Texas Rangers.
The Rangers shut-out the Mariners in two consecutive games to shatter any confidence they might have had. A 4-0 series whitewash acted like insult on injury for the Mariners who lost any hope for resurgence. The Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox completed
a three-game whitewash each over the depleted Mariners to improve their winning percentages.
The Mariners have lost 11 consecutive games after the All-Star break and are now riding a 16 game losing-streak. Their win-loss record has depleted to 43-59 and their winning percentage of .422 is the fourth lowest in the Majors. They are placed at the bottom
of the American League West Division and are 15.5 games behind Texas Rangers who are leaders in the division.
Their lacklustre showing cannot be attributed to any particular department. Their pitching and batting have been dismal, evident from the fact that their batting leader averages .268 and the best ERA among the pitching staff is 3.30. These figures are very
ordinary given the League standards.
Ichiro Suzuki has played the most games (101) this season for the Mariners and has scored just 50 runs thus far. His poor showing this season can be gauged from the fact that he has managed just one home-run in 421 at-bats this season. Among players who
have played more than 50 games for the Mariners this season, Suzuki’s average of .268 is the highest.
Justin Smoak has been pretty monotonous this season too. He has compiled just 26 runs in 94 games with 12 home-runs at an average of .227. Smoak is supposed to be among the best players in the Majors but this season, it is the Mariners as a whole who seem
to be in problems.
The highest home-runs for the Mariners this season (14) and the most RBIs (46) have been scored by Miguel Olivo. These numbers are not impressive and need to inflate immediately if the team wants a renaissance.
The Mariners have one of the best pitchers in the MLB in Felix Hernandez on their pitching staff but he too seems to have lost his winning touch with the Mariners. His win-loss record has suddenly slipped from 8-7 to 8-9 and with no support whatsoever form
the batters, this record does not have any immediate chance of improvement. The New York Yankees need a starting pitcher to compliment CC Sabathia at the mound and Hernandez will not be a bad option for them. Mariners might be in some serious trouble if this
move does take place.
With two more games to play with the Yankees before a three-game series against the improving Tampa Bay Rays, a 20 game losing-streak is on the cards for the Mariners!
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