The Mariners began the season 3-7, rediscovering the cellar beneath the AL West. The offense looked feckless, with the “RISP batting average” chyron burning a hole in my television. The few opportunities they had were TOOTBLAN’d away. The rotation couldn’t work past the fifth, and Dan Wilson was allowed to showcase his bullpen philosophies. The defense looked as bad as expected, save for Victor Robles, who exploded his shoulder making a miracle catch for not. After another disappointing season and offseason, the “it’s early” asterisk was applied mostly out of compulsion.
The Mariners have since gone 13-5 to move to four games above .