Well ok, but having a 5 run lead in the 3rd inning with your #5 starter on the mound is not exactly some pat hand, especially when your O does not score another run the rest of the way. Up 3-1 is also not some gimme. Neither of those losses are in the same universe as the 9-3 9th inning loss vs Angels, who by the way did the same thing to another team the next game.
Joshua Chinn @JoshLChinn
From ESPN
Seattle Mariners (2-8)
Problem area: Everything.
Sad tweet:
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When I die, I want the @Mariners to lower me into my grave, so they can let me down one last time.
10:17 PM - 12 Apr 2017
On Sunday, the Mariners led the Angels 9-3 entering the bottom of the ninth, gave up seven runs and lost. On Wednesday, they led the Astros 5-0 and lost 10-5. This might shock you, but teams usually win when ahead by five-plus runs. Last season, those teams went 929-24, a .975 winning percentage. The Mariners blew two such leads in four games. They lost another game they led in the 13th inning. In fact, they’ve had leads in seven of their eight losses.
The bullpen has struggled, of course, but other than Edwin Diaz, it was a concern heading into the season. The starters are providing little length in their outings, and the big boys in the middle of the order haven’t hit. Second baseman Robinson Cano, designated hitter Nelson Cruz, third baseman Kyle Seager, first baseman Danny Valencia and catcher Mike Zunino hit 141 home runs last season, one every 17.5 at-bats. They’re hitting .201 so far with one home run in 174 at-bats. Those guys should start hitting. If they don’t, nothing else will matter anyway. The defense was supposed to be better, but the Mariners have the second-highest batting average allowed on balls in play, so either the defense hasn’t been better or there’s been some bad luck (they did get dinged to death in that loss to the Angels). There have been injuries to pitcher Drew Smyly and shortstop Jean Segura. At least pitcher James Paxton has been great.
All this is a way of saying the Mariners haven’t looked good. None of these teams has looked good! That’s why they’re here. As Jeff Sullivan outlined at FanGraphs, a bad start affects what to expect the rest of the season. While the Mariners’ true talent level hasn’t necessarily changed, 2-8 is in the books. If they were projected to win 85 games before the season, you have to drop the expected win total three or four wins. That could be the difference between making the playoffs and missing the playoffs.
not everything revolves around new york, no matter how much you all jerk each other off
Yeah, the bad start puts the team in a hole for sure. But they're not coming back from 8 under .500, not sure what you meant there. It's 5 now. And the team was in a worse spot than this later in the season last year and still was in it to the end of game 162. 1 game back of the WC in that final game if I remember it correctly.
It was a general comment, not necessarily about you. It's not that tough to find all sorts of panic in here through the first 10 games.
Panic? Who is panicing? Totally the wrong word. The right word is 'expectation'. Seasoned Mariner fans have an expectation that the team will find ways to underperform.
Good comment... I will say for me personally, this 2017 is the most optimistic I have been about these guys in a long time. My expectations of this team are pretty high. To see them go out there in there first handful of games and completely shit all over the bed was a huge disappointment. That being said I have been a baseball fan my entire life so I get the way the season can have its ups and downs. When its at the start of the season it is very magnified.
Hey, whatever you gotta tell yourself.
