Mariners: 4 takeaways from road series win versus Baltimore Orioles

3) Reliability at the top of the Mariners’ batting order

It’s not exactly a revelation to advise the first three hitters in a lineup are all producing consistently. It’s a major part of the reason they are at the top of your batting order.

At the same time however, it doesn’t make the significance any less important. And in the case of the Mariners, the reliability of Mitch Haniger, Ty France and Kyle Seager has been necessary, when considering the overall inconsistency of the offense at times so far this season.

Starting with Haniger, it’s fair to say he has now fully recovered from the nasty injury which cost him the majority of 2019 and all of last season. When he’s on form, he’s arguably the Mariners’ best player.

In this respect, the 30-year-old has reached base every game so far this season, achieving hits in 12 of his 13 appearances and once via a walk. At this rate he will be a candidate to be named an All-Star for the second time in his career (2018).

On Thursday, Haniger became the first Mariner to homer in both games of a double-header since Seager on Sept. 26, 2020 in Oakland and the seventh overall. He is also the first player in franchise history to do it out of the leadoff spot.

There has been some speculation that a good season for Haniger could see him became a trade candidate before the deadline. However, if he continues to help the ball club win, such a move would be a bitter pill for fans to swallow.

Next up is France, who has been a pleasant surprise for the Mariners since arriving in a trade from San Diego last August. He served notice of what to expect this year during a tremendous spring training.

The 26-year-old has reached base in 11 of 13 games this season. The exciting thing for the organization is he’s only just getting started and there’s more to come.

In terms of the Baltimore series specifically, France admittedly wasn’t quite as effective as other times this season. However, it speaks to the measure of his talent that he still reached base in three games, with a combined two hits, one homer, two runs and three walks.

Last but certainly not least, we come to Seager. We are talking about a player who may not be truly appreciated until after his career has finished with the Mariners.

Along these lines, the 33-year-old is making a late push to get people to sit up and take notice while he’s still in Seattle by doing something unusual. Notorious for being a slow starter every year, he has been excellent during the initial stages of this season.

Heading into the Baltimore series, Seager was coming off an outstanding individual effort against the Twins on Sunday. He led a dramatic 8-6 comeback win, with four hits, two home runs, four RBI and a walk.

The 2009 third round draft pick carried this momentum into Baltimore, as he reached base three times in Game 1 of Tuesday’s double header. In particular, he came up big after the contest went to extra innings.

First, Seager hit what proved to be the winning RBI in the top of the eight. Then, in the bottom half of the inning, he made an excellent snag to stop a potential game-tying hit by the Cedric Mullins.

We should also note that during the Orioles series, Seager became just the fourth player in franchise history to record 5,000 career at-bats. When you consider the other three players are Ichiro, Edgar Martinez and Ken Griffey Jr., it highlights how special this achievement is.

Overall, it’s too early to know how this season is going to play out for the Mariners, as they return to Seattle with a 8-5 record. However, if Haniger, France and Seager continue to collectively produce, the ball club could be a pleasant surprise.

NEXT: THE 'CURSE' OF THE FIFTH STARTER