The Mariners have big problems one win won’t fix | Commentary

After a dispiriting 6-2 defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 30, their third consecutive series loss in a seasonlong swoon, Seattle Times reporter Adam Jude wrote that the Mariners had “reached rock bottom.”

I don’t blame Adam for coming to that conclusion. For a team this talented, with expectations this astronomical, in a division this inexcusably limp, that’s where rock bottom should reasonably be.

But I’ve got to give them credit (for the first of two times in this column): The Mariners have managed to burrow below rock bottom. It’s remarkable, really.

Somehow, Seattle reached rock bottom before surrendering three unanswered runs in a 5-3 dud against Minnesota a day after that Dodgers defeat. And before failing (again) to add impact relief at the trade deadline. And before absorbing boos during 8-0 and 11-0 home drubbings to the Detroit Tigers. And before being unceremoniously swept by the Tampa Bay Rays, while attempting to celebrate 50 seasons. And before blowing back-to-back leads in losses to a Yankees team without injured stars Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger.

(And, while we’re spraying salt into a bleeding shark bite, before former Seattle starter Luis Castillo surrendered a single hit in seven scoreless innings for the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.)

Add those daily indignations, and what do you get?

A tanking team with problems one win won’t fix.

Yes, Hallelujah, the Mariners won a game — riding six shutout innings from Logan Gilbert, an efficient outing from a beleaguered bullpen and a Weston Wilson solo homer to a 1-0 win over the Yankees on Thursday. In doing so, Seattle (57-65) snapped a six-game losing streak. Give Gilbert and Co. credit for overcoming their own anemic offense, which went 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position.

(Credit counter: 2)

But if you believe this is a turning point? Better roll the tape. It wasn’t a turning point when Dominic Canzone launched a three-run homer in a dramatic 6-4 win over Texas on July 26. It wasn’t a turning point when the Mariners cranked five homers in a 7-6 win over the back-to-back World Series champion Dodgers on July 28. It wasn’t a turning point when rookie Colt Emerson authored a walkoff single in a 7-6 survival of Minnesota on Aug. 2, or when they traded for Baltimore outfielder Taylor Ward the next day.

The Mariners are 2-7 since adding Ward to a regressing roster. These aren’t turning points; they’re siren songs, luring fans to sea.

So I don’t believe the Mariners are magically about to get better. Not when their next 12 games come against the AL West-leading Houston Astros (62-60), Milwaukee Brewers (74-47), Chicago Cubs (71-50) and Philadelphia Phillies (64-58). Not when we’ve seen and heard this all before.

Not when the Mariners’ 469 runs remain (by far) the fewest in baseball. Simply put: They don’t do the little things right. They chase pitches. They don’t move runners over. They don’t come through in the clutch, as evidenced by a .215 batting average with runners in scoring position (29th in MLB). And because of the above, they’re cripplingly dependent — 49-30 when they hit a homer, 8-34 when they don’t. They either run into one or get run over. Either way, there aren’t enough runs to go around.

One reason? Cal Raleigh. After smoking 60 homers a season ago, Raleigh’s batting average sits at .159, tied for the third-lowest mark (minimum 350 plate appearances) in MLB history. According to MLB.com, he’s also experiencing the second-biggest season-to-season OPS slide in league history.

On Tuesday, Raleigh accurately assessed his season, saying: “I’m awful.” And while I appreciate the accountability, the Mariners won’t take off until it’s no longer true.

I could keep going, decrying the Mariners’ depth, which forced a 21-year-old Emerson (who was demoted to Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday) into a full-time role he wasn’t ready for. Or I could highlight a bullpen held together by duct tape and overworked arms. Perhaps the return of injured relievers Matt Brash, Carlos Vargas and Cooper Criswell will be enough to bolster the bullpen. But that assumes there’s still a season worth saving when reinforcements arrive.

I could keep going. But my words, like Raleigh’s, matter only so much. Manager Dan Wilson, likewise, remains steadfast that his Mariners are about to break out. But without improvement, that’s not Nostradamus. It’s a violinist playing pretty songs aboard a sinking ship.

How do you claw back from below rock bottom? The Mariners could start by calling up the kids. Premier prospects Michael Arroyo and Lázaro Montes are both torching Triple-A Tacoma, while Kade Anderson remains the minor leagues’ most dominant pitcher at Double-A Arkansas. It’s possible, even likely, that the prospects struggle in their first taste of T-Mobile Park.

But when the Mariners are 9-16 since the All-Star break, with both the worst offense and defense in baseball, how could it hurt?

Big picture, beyond this road trip or series, they have to do something. Either now or in the coming months, they have to overhaul their hitting approach, which probably means parting with coaches Kevin Seitzer and Edgar Martínez. Though Wilson, like Edgar, is a Mariners legend, they may need a new voice in the clubhouse as well. They need a manager who maximizes his talent and opportunities, which undeniably hasn’t happened here.

Unless this is a turning point, not another mirage, the Mariners need to take accountability and action.

They need to know that one win won’t fix everything else.