Commentary: Is the Mariners offense coming to life for a September run?

SEATTLE – Dan Wilson says he doesn’t care how the wins come, but come on – these types are auspicious.

The new Mariners manager hasn’t been watching this team pile up victories the same way his predecessor, Scott Servais, did.

Seattle’s roster is designed to eke out wins in low-scoring affairs. Let MLB’s best pitching staff stifle the opponent’s lineup and hope one or two M’s batters catch up to a couple of pitches.

That’s not how it’s been happening since Wilson took over last Friday, though. In this short stint, the Mariners’ offense has gone from sluggish to slugfest.

For their standards, at least.

Wednesday’s 6-2 win over the Rays was the latest example of this lumber liberation. The M’s have averaged 4.33 runs per game since the Wilson hire and have gone 4-2 over that stretch with series wins over the Giants and Rays.

That may not sound like a massive run total, but considering the Mariners (68-65) are last in MLB in batting average, and were 27th in scoring a week ago (25th now), it’s an improvement.

Yes, it’s a Tic Tac-sized sample. But it’s exactly what the Mariners – trailing Houston by 3½ games in the American League West – need to make the improbable climb back into the playoffs.

Surely this is encouraging, right, skip?

“Again, it’s a matter of time. When you put good, competitive at-bats up there, you’re gonna get good results eventually, and today was a day that we saw some really good results,” Wilson said.

“We can’t get too far ahead, we’ve got a long way to go, but to be able to look at something like this and to see a little progress and continue on it and keep harping on it, and see where it continues to take us.”

If there was a trio that encapsulated the optimism that may be starting to surround the Mariners – and “may” is the operative word for this perpetually frustrated fan base – it’s outfielders Julio Rodriguez, Randy Arozarena and Victor Robles. Each homered in Wednesday’s win.

Robles, an early June acquisition, has redefined himself in Seattle with a team-leading OPS of .790. In the fifth inning, he belted a two-run blast to left-center to put the Mariners up 3-1.

Rodriguez is in the midst of the worst season of his three-year career, as he sits 135th in MLB in OPS and outside the top 150 in homers (12). This is after finishing fourth in the AL MVP voting last year. But in the fifth, he, too, hit a two-run homer – his first since July 20.

Arozarena may have been the best available bat on the market before the trade deadline. The Mariners landed him, and in the eighth inning, the ball landed over the wall in left-center after his 430-foot shot.

Catcher Cal Raleigh and J.P. Crawford, among others, are also offensive threats. It’s those three in the outfield, though, that could be the difference between going on in October or going home.

So count Rodriguez as a fan of the teammates he didn’t have for the first two months of the season.

“It’s fun. Victor and Randy are both two characters, so it’s fun to have them by my side playing out there and contributing at the same time,” Rodriguez said.

Wilson said that offense is contagious. Do you believe that?

“Everything is contagious,” Rodriguez said. “Energy is contagious, and when I feel like you’re having fun out there and you’re just loose, I feel like everyone can see that. I use some of that.”

What’s notable, in addition to the offensive bloom, is how competitive the games have been since Wilson took over. Four of the six contests have been decided by one run (the M’s are 2-2 in those), with the other two being four-run victories for Seattle.

This is hardly novel for the team that had the best one-run record in MLB all those years under Scott Servais. But after a 1-8 road trip that got Servais fired, one might understand if there were signs of wilting. Not so much.

The Mariners’ task is still daunting despite having closed the lead on Houston by two games over the past two series. Fangraphs.com still gives Seattle less than an 18% chance of making the postseason. This six-game homestand, however, was just what needed to happen to keep the players hopeful and the fans engaged. The offense came alive, the Mariners stayed alive.