A Grip on Sports: As they have seemed to do every summer recently, the M’s are giving their fans hope
A GRIP ON SPORTS • It’s time to move on. At least until the next body blow is sent Washington State’s way. Or the Cougars emerge, Phoenix-like, from the ashes of the once mighty Pac-12. Until then, let’s turn our eyes toward the most reliable entity of the summer. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you the Seattle Mariners.
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• Ya, we said it. Good old Mariners. You can always rely on them. Oh, no, not necessarily to be successful, mind you. But to, sometime during the long, hot days of the baseball season, make you believe once again they can be. It’s not just them, of course. We’re part of it. All us baseball fans who, deep in our hearts, want to believe.
The game brings that out in folks.
Maybe it’s the nature of the scoring system. As Yogi sort of said, it’s not over until it is. Unlike a basketball or football game that winds down, inexorably, until it’s obvious your team has no shot, even with time remaining, baseball allows you to believe even with two out, two strikes and Kolton Wong at the plate.
Wait, the M’s finally moved on from their “big” offseason acquisition. And, though there is no correlation whatsoever, are finally beginning to play like everyone hoped back when Wong was brought in. Hope, so prominent in Mariner conversations before the season began, and in such short supply a month ago, is back in the lineup.
Hitting fifth, the same number as wins they have strung together.
The good ship Mariner has been buoyed by not just the victories, but the teams they came against. The first one against the Red Sox. Then four against the Angels.
The team that plays in Anaheim went all in at the deadline. Traded what little assets it had in an attempt to convince free-agent-to-be Shohei Ohtani winning is possible in Orange County. And immediately started a free fall.
The four-game sweep not only allowed Seattle to jump ahead of the Angels – driving them eight games out of the final American League wild-card spot – it also resulted in the M’s moving to the top of the next-best heap. Toronto holds the final wild card as the day dawns, but no one is between the Jays and Seattle.
Not New York nor Boston, the two A.L. darlings. Not the Angels nor Cleveland. It’s the M’s, three games out and holding something of a golden ticket – the tiebreaker against the Jays. At least at the moment, as they split their six games this season. That means it may come down to intradivision record. The M’s are 19-11 and the Blue Jays are 11-23. The A.L. West might just be Seattle’s salvation.
That is immaterial now but may become big in October. It all depends on whether the current hot streak – Seattle has won 10 of its last 12 games – continues. The streak dates back to before the Aug. 1 trade deadline but the fact the M’s only made minor deals – the only big loss was closer Paul Sewald and there were no “name” acquisitions – hasn’t slowed the run.
Julio Rodriguez is hitting – .358 in the last 12 games. He’s driving in runs – 11 – and scoring them – 12. His OPS has jumped 30 points and his slugging 20. In other words, he’s being the Julio he’s expected to be. Even more so.
And he’s filling the role of the rising tide. Other boats, most notably Eugenio Suarez, who is hitting .300 in the stretch and driven in 13 runs, have also risen.
The starting pitching, despite the loss of veterans Robbie Ray and Marco Gonzales for the season, has been more than solid. Among the best in baseball actually. And the bullpen has held it together after Sewald’s exile to Arizona. It’s taken a little more mixing and matching on Scott Servais’ part but it seems to be working. Of course, giving the ninth inning to Andres Munoz and his sharp-breaking slider/100-miles-per-hour fastball combo isn’t an awful choice.
What has happened the past 13 days has been the expected. Not for most of the season, sure, but that glorious period from last year’s division series loss to the Astros and opening day. Now we have to hope – there’s that word again – it’s not just a false flag. A tease. Another way for sports to break our will – and hearts.
Let’s just leave that to the powers-that-be that run college athletics, OK?
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WSU: Washington State president Kirk Schulz was shocked by the happenings Friday. How do we know? He told everyone yesterday in a statement. A deal seemed imminent Thursday night, Washington and Oregon informed everyone they had changed their mind Friday morning and poof, the conference was in pieces. Greg Woods has more in this story. … Greg also did double-sports duty yesterday, covering the football practice as well as the men’s basketball team’s announcement of its nonconference schedule. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and the nation, of course nothing says others can’t focus on the disbanding of the conference as well as realignment. Or telling us not to call it realignment at all. Consolidation is the right word. Anyhow, Jon Wilner has a gameplan for putting the Pac back together. Though, if California and Stanford agree today to join the ACC – Timeout. The ACC? Are you kidding? If that happens, blow everything up, divide the nation into four quadrants and just have one league – then all plans – and bets – are off. … What happened during that 24-hour period that rocked Schulz’s world? … And where do we stand today? Well, this morning. … Back to the field, Washington is in the midst of practice. … The preseason coaches’ poll has four conference teams listed, including Oregon State. The Beavers should be good in the final year of the Pac-12 as we’ve known it. … Former Oregon coach Rich Brooks is as sad as most of us with the changes. Maybe even more so. Of course, the Ducks may spend even more money. … Practice rolls on at Colorado as well. … The California players do not care what conference they are in right now. … The Utah leaders talked yesterday about their decision. They blame UW and Oregon too. … The biggest decision at UCLA this preseason involves the quarterback position. … There is a lot going on at Arizona State, including not-so-good stuff. … Tommy Lloyd took over the Arizona basketball program expecting to challenge for Pac-12 titles. Now he has to think about the Big 12. The football team is thinking about the upcoming season. … Finally, there is a legacy the conference built through sports concerning things bigger than sports. That’s going to be hard to replace.
EWU: The No. 4 is a big deal within the Eagles’ football program. It goes to, as Dan Thompson writes this morning “the player who most embodies grit, toughness, effort, leadership and academic success.” Defensive end Brock Harrison is going to wear it this season. Dan has more in this story. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Montana State and Montana are ranked high in the latest preseason FCS poll. … The Bobcats released their nonconference basketball schedule.
Idaho: The STATS Perform preseason poll is out. We mentioned it above. What we mention here is the Vandals are ranked eighth nationally, second-highest in the conference.
Mariners: The young guys, including Bryce Miller, have had a huge impact on the rotation. … The best pickup at the deadline for the M’s? Minor league infielder Ryan Bliss.
Seahawks: As we said yesterday, the Hawks have settled on a veteran as their starting center. For now. … Practice got a bit chippy yesterday. … Players are still in and out due to injuries. …Michael Bennett has been hanging around and helping.
Storm: Seattle plays the next four games at home. That should be a good thing. Will it?
Swimming: Local athletes took home top spots in the recent USA Swimming Junior National Championship. That and more is in today’s S-R local briefs column.
Golf: The Showcase golf tournament raised more than $5 million to fight cancer in the Inland Northwest, according to the Community Cancer Fund (CCF). Jim Meehan has that news in this story.
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• We’ve touched base with a lot of folks our age recently concerning the Pac-12’s demise, many of whom worked in the conference for most of their career. Not one sees it as a good thing. And wonder what’s next. They all agree on that. Something else is going to happen and it will happen sooner than expected. Until later …