How are the Seattle Mariners in last place?
The Mariners have the best one-two punch on the mound with Cliff Lee and Felix Hernandez. Add players like Ichiro Suzuki, Milton Bradley, Chrome Figgins, Jose Lopez, and that makes a valid, post-season contending ball-club.
The group the New York Yankees have faced the last two nights is not the Mariners who are 13.5 games out in the AL West.
Not only did Lee pitch a complete game in Tuesday’s win, his teammate King Felix followed his lead by going all nine innings to defeat the reigning World Champions, again.
The King ruled more like a dictator against such a tough Yankees line-up. Allowing only two hits, walked three and fanned 11 Yankee bats, who each resembled a deer in headlights. The Yankees did not score a single run.
The Mariners bats certainly did not slack-off because of who was on the mound. They complimented the pitching. Scoring seven runs on both nights against starters Phil Hughes, Javier Vazquez and the Yankees weakest link (aka. the bullpen) is a tremendous deal.
Tuesday night, the Mariners had 12 hits off Hughes. Ichiro and Johnson had two RBIs a piece and Gutierrez hit one home-run. Mariners over Yankees 7-4.
The Mariners continued on their hitting spree on Wednesday night, as Michael Saunders hit two home-runs, while Milton Bradley and Russell Branyan each had one bomb. Mariners over Yankees 7-0.
This leaves me altogether perturbed.
Why are the Mariners already throwing in the towel this season? Offering up Cliff Lee for the taking is sure evidence it is over in Seattle.
It is not over for the Mariners, unless they are quitters. Giving this team a chance to shine is not going to make things any worse in Seattle, but the potential upside could be fantastic.
Just in case any reader is wondering why a lifelong New York Yankees fan is writing this, I had not choice, but the Mariners still do.
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