Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
As pathetic as their season has been to date including four losses to the lowly Houston Astros, the Seattle Mariners can take some comfort in the fact that they are not the most disappointing team in the American League West. That honor goes to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim after losing three of four games to the lowly Mariners.
Yes the Mariners flashed some great pitching during the series, but there habitually poor offense was a consistent factor throughout the series. The Mariners created just enough offense to squeak by in two of the three wins which highlights the struggles the Angels are having both from an offensive standpoint and most notably with their pitching. With their ace Jered Weaver on the DL and newcomer Josh Hamilton struggling at the plate, the Angels are proving that just because you spend a lot of money on players you are not guaranteed any modicum of on field success.
Heralded phenom Mike Trout is hitting just .263 with two home runs and while not horrendous, has to be a huge disappointment to a team that expected him to repeat the success that made him a finalist for the league MVP award in 2012, despite missing the first six weeks of the season.
As for the Mariners they are likely to get a dose of reality with their upcoming series with the Baltimore Orioles which is likely to result in a couple of losses especially considering the struggles the bottom third of their pitching order has encountered.
Despite their struggles, Mariners find themselves at a crossroad in their season. While no one was expecting the team to contend this season, they were expecting improved game play with a shot of the .500 season.
The offensive struggles of the past few years of continued to plague the team despite recently moving in the outfield fences. While Michael Morse, Kendry Morales, and Kyle Seager have had solid seasons, early struggles by Justin Smoak, Jesus Montero, and Dustin Ackley have raised serious questions about the Mariners ability to evaluate talent and the long-term future of the team under the current ownership/leadership.
To his credit, Ackley has played very well recently and has raised his average to respectable levels. However fans in the Pacific Northwest to quickly grown tired of the team struggles and are demanding changes including a sale of the team.
