On one hand, it’s easy to be frustrated in the Mariners’ collapse in the past three weeks. They bombed in Texas, showed nothing at home against the Angels, then virtually eliminated themselves from the playoffs in Toronto and New York.
The chronic problem with starting pitching finally did them in. You need starters to consistently go a minimum of six innings. When that didn’t happen, it put excessive pressure on the relievers and you saw what happened to the relievers in the last few weeks. Over a 162-game season, it was simply too much.
On the other hand, I don’t remember too many people who predicted we’d still be interested in M’s games in early September. I certainly didn’t. In that regard, the season exceeded expectations. The team gave us another whiff of a pennant race. How cool was that?
This, despite Mike Hargrove’s startling departure. Richie Sexson never found a hitting groove. Felix Hernandez was inconsistent, as was Jarrod Washburn, Horacio Ramirez and Jeff Weaver. Jose Lopez had a series of mental meltdowns that prompted a late-season benching. Team speed ws a constant problem. Look at the Angels to see how important speed is. General manager Bill Bavasi, whose signings of Jose Guillen, Miguel Batista and Jose Vidro likely saved his job, has decisions galore to make in the off-season. Maybe this time, he plays the free-agency game with a little more vigor and not whine about pricetags.
What to do with the Sexson-Broussard `overpopulation at first base? What to do about the starting pitching? Does Adam Jones play fulltime and if so, whom does he supplant in the outfield? Does John McLaren, a lightning rod of criticism for personnel and game decisions, deserve to stay on as manager?
OK, OK, the M’s aren’t mathematically out of it, but they’re playing their way out of it. Do you give the kids experience starting now?
It’s just as well. It’s football season! Baseball should end in August!
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