The Seattle Mariners have gone into a slump at the worst possible time and have seen their advantage for a wild card spot whittle down to just three games.
This is not how it was meant to be. Not even for a Seattle Mariners franchise with the longest playoff drought in all four of the major North American sports leagues.
However, Seattle’s advantage for an AL wild card spot is now down to just three games. With only 12 contests remaining in the 2022 regular season, Mariners fans have become increasingly nervous.
To be in this situation seems unfathomable, but at the same time typical for this franchise. So far they have gone just 2-6 in what is meant to be the easiest part of their schedule. (20 games versus teams guaranteed to finish below .500.)
A significant loss
There’s no denying the Mariners have been unfortunate of late on the injury front. In this respect, Friday’s news concerning Julio Rodriguez summed up the situation (im)perfectly.
The Mariners announced that Rodriguez has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a lower back strain. As a result of this move, Taylor Trammell was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma.
Rodriguez recently sat out three games, in the hope that rest would resolve his back issue. Now, Seattle will have to attempt to overcome the recent slump without their best player.
In theory, the 21-year-old could be back for the final series of the regular season. However, he may well not return until the start of the postseason, assuming of course the Mariners even qualify.
Manager Scott Servais did his best to be optimistic, but knows how much Rodriguez will be missed. Speaking to the media on Friday, he said:
“You never know when a player goes on the IL if he’ll be ready to go off there after the 10 days, but all of our trainers and medical professionals think that he’ll be OK at that point. Not only has he had a fantastic year, but he does so much for our team with his energy and really leading the charge for our team.”
Rodriguez leads Seattle in a multitude of categories. These include hits, runs, steals, batting average, OBP, slugging percentage and OPS.
The 2022 All-Star also has a team-high 5.7 WAR. The Mariners are 73-56 with him in the lineup and 9-12 without.
Rodriguez has been a revelation this season, becoming the fastest player in Major League history to reach 25 homer runs and 25 steals. He achieved this in 125 games, to surpass Mike Trout’s previous record of 128 games.
A silver lining
It doesn’t help that the Mariners are also currently missing Eugenio Suarez. The clubhouse leader is in the midst of a 10-day stint on the IL with a right index finger fracture.
Suarez leads Seattle in home runs and RBIs. As things stand, the projection is he will be back for the start of the Mariners’ final homestand of the season.
Certainly, things sound hopefully when considering Servais’ comments on Friday regarding Suarez. He said:
“Geno looked great today. I was surprised with how hard he was swinging and letting it go. He should take (batting practice) tomorrow.”
Following the final two games in Kansas City this weekend, Seattle returns home for three-game sets against Texas and Oakland. They will then finish the regular season with four contests versus Detroit.
At this point, no matter the (lack of) quality of the opposition, nothing is being taken for granted. This is not have it was meant to be.
What’s your prediction at this point for the Mariners, especially with Rodriguez now out of the lineup? Do you see them qualifying for the postseason or not? Let us know in the comments section below.
