Teams always aim to enter the All-Star break on a high note, but the Mariners urgently need these final six games to reset their trajectory after 2½ weeks of disappointing baseball.
On June 18, the Mariners hit nine extra-base hits to defeat the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians, 8-5, kicking off a tough three-city road trip with a win. After sweeping the Rangers at T-Mobile Park, the Mariners had won four consecutive games, improved to 44-31, and pushed their division lead to 10 games over the Astros.
At that point, they led their division by the widest margin of any team in the majors.
An offense that had previously been lifeless and prone to strikeouts appeared to be improving, complementing a starting rotation that had carried the team for much of the season.
However, Seattle lost the next two games in Cleveland, dropping the series and beginning a frustrating trend. They lost two of three to the Marlins, one of the worst teams in baseball, and narrowly avoided a sweep in Tampa, salvaging a win in the final game of a 3-6 road trip.
The struggles continued at home. Despite playing in front of large crowds for all nine games of the homestand, Seattle went 3-6, losing series to the Twins, Orioles, and Blue Jays. The Mariners’ run production was dismal, scoring three runs or fewer in six of the nine games.
Since that win in Cleveland, the Mariners are 5-12, having lost six straight series. The offense remains a perplexing problem.
Over those 17 games, Seattle posted a .194/.278/.322 slash line with 54 runs scored, 49 RBIs, and a 31.3% strikeout rate in 626 combined plate appearances. They scored the fewest runs, had the lowest batting average and slugging percentage, and the highest strikeout rate in the MLB during that span. Of their 72 hits, half were singles, with 17 doubles, three triples, and 16 home runs.
Averaging 3.2 runs per game isn’t sustainable. Seattle struck out in double digits in 14 of those games, including the last 11, while stranding 115 base runners.
Yes, 115 runners left on base, including 15 in Sunday’s extra-innings loss to the Blue Jays.
The Mariners’ hitting with runners in scoring position during those 17 games was dreadful.
Seattle hitters had 145 plate appearances with runners in scoring position, posting a .165/.245/.331 slash line and scoring just 35 runs. They recorded only 21 hits with four triples, four homers, 30 RBIs, 12 walks, and 46 strikeouts. The batting average was the worst in MLB and almost 30 points lower than the next team, and the 31.7% strikeout rate was the second worst.
Meanwhile, the Padres, their next opponents, posted a .353/.393/.609 slash line in 148 plate appearances with runners in scoring position, scoring 68 runs with 65 RBIs and only 24 strikeouts over the same span.
While fans continue to blame the hitting coaches, demanding changes since firing offensive coordinator Brant Brown didn’t yield the expected improvement, Cal Raleigh placed the responsibility on the players for their failures at the plate.
“I really don’t have an answer,” he said. “I wish I did. I guess what I’m trying to say is I think we all wish that we had the answer. I don’t think that anybody here is not trying. I don’t think it’s that at all, but we’ve got to find it soon. We’ve put ourselves in a good spot in the first half. I’m not taking anything away from that at all, but we know who is in our division. We have the defending champs and the Houston Astros are really good and have proven it. We’ve got to find a way quickly to make those adjustments.”
The Mariners’ situational hitting has been awful this season. According to Baseball Reference:
- With a runner on third and less than two outs, the Mariners have 159 plate appearances and produced a run 68 times, striking out 41 times. That 42.8% success rate is the worst in MLB. The league average in that situation is 51.5%.
- With a runner on second and no outs, the Mariners have 129 plate appearances, advancing the base runner just 56 times. That 43.4% success rate is also the worst in MLB, with the league average being 51.5%.
These numbers reflect team-wide struggles. Jorge Polanco isn’t solely responsible for the team’s offensive woes, and designating him for assignment won’t fix the problem. Although such a move seems unlikely before the All-Star break, it looms on the horizon.
Since returning from the injured list, Polanco has five hits in 33 plate appearances with a double, an RBI, and 16 strikeouts. His attempts to swing his way out of struggles have not been successful. If designated for assignment, the Mariners would have to absorb roughly $4.5 million in owed salary
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