Seven weeks into a Seattle baseball season that went south before the team headed north, the Mariners have reached a crisis point.
When they got to .500 after plodding through April and early May, there was a temptation to see their 17-17 record as evidence of untapped potential. The immediate schedule – 11 consecutive games against losing teams – appeared favorable for a reset.
The Mariners went 3-8 over those 11 games, a nosedive especially frustrating because of the opportunity squandered. The Blue Jays, Athletics and White Sox ended this past weekend with a collective record of 69-72 – think of a three-series stretch against them as a Par 3 without any hazards – and yet at the end of the stretch, Seattle was in last place.