A Grip on Sports: There may be a basketball celebration in Spokane but no one is celebrating after another Mariner offensive drought hits
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Not sure what we’re going to cover this morning. We’re tired of lamenting the Mariners’ offense. We’re sure you are too. Whether there will be any change between now and when the leaves begin to fall is the biggest unknown in a world of unknowns. And yet we can’t turn away.
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• How many times in the past month (or more) have you turned on your TV set midway through a Mariner game? Sat down to watch? And saw nothing but weak contact or no contact at all against a starting pitcher whose resume seems average at best? If your experience is anything like ours, it’s been often.
Last night was just another trainwreck in a series of them, though the Twins’ Pablo Lopez has an All-Star appearance to bolster his credentials. He didn’t look like it in one regard, as the righthander was all over the place early and had even given up a home run to Mitch Haniger, the first pitcher to have that dubious honor since mid-May.
After six innings, however, the impotent M’s offense had just the single run to show for itself and Lopez left the T-Mobile mound with his seventh win. His earned run average? It had dropped. To 5.11. And his position atop the American League in one dubious category, earned runs given up, was still intact.
Saturday night’s 5-1 loss was just another alarm bell in a long litany of them. And really boring to watch.
Thankfully, the Twins attacked the Seattle bullpen with gusto in the top of the sixth inning, scoring three times to break open a tight game and allowing us to turn our eyes elsewhere.
Including the American League West standings. Yes, Seattle is still in first place. Their nine games to the good side of the break-even mark ensures that in a division rife with issues. The Astros, who started slower than Cecil Turtle, are playing better but are still just 41-41. The defending World Series champion Rangers have struggled enough they are just a half-game ahead of a Mike Trout-missing Angels squad. And then there are the Athletics.
Why worry? The offense’s inability to score consistently, or to even string together a series of hard-hit balls consistently, means the pitching staff faces a day-to-day wear and tear that has stressed the starters and frayed the bullpen. Margin of error? Thin to none for the pitching staff. Pretty much every game.
Yes, hitting is harder now than ever. And, yes, baseball’s easiest to understand stat, batting average, is not the greatest example. But since 1909, the MLB’s worst season average ever was 1968’s .237. This year? Second-worst at .242.
Seattle’s? It is .218, the worst in baseball. Right above them are the White Sox (24-61 this season) and the A’s (30-55), which tells you how good the pitching has been.
Whose fault is it? Collective failure makes it hard to pinpoint any one person, though the M’s fired their “offensive coordinator” Brant Brown already, making him the scapegoat. But it’s a team thing. From the guys who build the lineup, to those who coach it to the players themselves.
None of them are happy. In that regard, the fans fit right in. But how does it change? There are too many holes to fill in a lineup featuring only three players last night hitting better than the MLB average. One of them was Julio Rodriguez, who is not producing anything near what his superstar status would lead us to expect. Another was Josh Rojas, who has been slumping lately. The third? Luke Raley, the one offseason addition who has exceeded expectations.
Mitch Garver? Jorge Polanco? Haniger? All three in the lineup last night, only one hitting above the Mendoza Line. Add in the fading Ty France – after topping out in 2020, every one of his hitting stats has fallen each year since – and Cal Raleigh – having his worst statistical season since his rookie year – and this lineup has more holes than a 1993 Hoopfest T-shirt.
There aren’t enough deals available before the deadline to fix everything. But one productive bat has the potential to lift everyone. Unless, as has been the case in Seattle often over the years, the new hitter pulls what we term “a Teoscar” or “a Kelenic” and is pulled down to the rest of the lineup’s level.
No matter what, though, at least one hitter has to be acquired. Remember how last season ended, with Raleigh calling out management for the failure to add players? The clubhouse wants to know those above them are all in too. You don’t do that shopping at the 99-Cent store. Or even Nordstrom Rack.
Spend some capital. Add a bat or two. The sooner the better.
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WSU: We’re not sure if a Washington State alum has ever been in a more high-profile soap opera than the one Klay Thompson is starring in these days. His divorce from the Golden State Warriors is “As The World Turns” epic. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and the nation, for some reason the rebooted EA Sports College Football 25 game has Colorado among the nation’s best offenses. … Yep, the Oregonian’s football numbers countdown is still rolling. Today there are stories on the No. 63 and 62 for Oregon and No. 62 for Oregon State to pass along. … Recruiting also rolls on and there are stories from Washington and Oregon. … Colorado has reached the nadir of its NBA influence. … Arizona might hit that point next season. … Wildcats’ alum Steve Kerr is getting set for the Olympics.
EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, a Northern Colorado hurdler is close to making the Jamaican Olympic team. … Dillon Jones is ready to make the jump from Weber State to Oklahoma City.
Preps: Lewis and Clark High graduate Briann January is firmly entrenched in Spokane’s brightest women’s basketball firmament. As a player and, maybe in the not-too-distant future, as a coach. She’s in the midst of that second basketball journey these days with the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun.
Indians: Saturday was not the best day for Spokane, who fell behind quickly and lost 12-2 at Everett. Dave Nichols has the coverage. … In other Northwest League action, Vancouver remained undefeated in the second half, topping Hillsboro 7-4. … Eugene dropped a 5-3 decision to Tri-City in Oregon. … There is a meticulous method to the madness that is postgame fireworks at Indians’ games. Cynthia Reugh has the story.
Chiefs: Two more Spokane players heard their names called during the second day of the NHL draft. Dave covers the selections of defensemen Will McIsaac and Nathan Mayes.
Velocity: Spokane has played five consecutive matches without a win, culminating in last night’s 3-1 loss at the Northern Colorado Hailstorm in the Jagermeister Cup.
Mariners: Before Saturday’s 5-1 loss to Minnesota, Seattle announced Luis Castillo would start today’s game against the Twins on his normal schedule. … Matt Calkins wonders if Rodriguez will ever break out of his funk this season. It has lasted so much longer than Rodriguez’s other slow starts.
Kraken: Seattle had seven picks on the NHL draft’s second day. Here are all of them. … And yes, Berkly Catton had an inkling he was headed to Seattle in the first round.
Sounders: This is fun. Even without two starters, Seattle was able to score twice in the second half and edge visiting Chicago 2-1. The Sounders, in the midst of a three-match homestand, have picked up six points in the first two. Albert Rusnak scored twice on penalty kicks. … The U.S. has a win-or-go-home game (basically) against Uruguay tomorrow night. The national team has been in this spot recently and figured out a way to get it done. For the U.S. to do it again, it will have to happen without Tim Weah.
Storm: The new-look Storm – or is it too far into the season to use that description? – are on a heater. They dismantled Dallas 97-76 Saturday for their seventh consecutive home win and third straight overall.
Reign: Seattle and Gotham FC met at the end of last season with the NWSL title on the line. Since, the Reign’s fortunes have plummeted. The two clubs meet again today.
Olympics: The track and field trials end today in Eugene. Which means there will be more stories of athletes reaching their dream, like distance runner Weini Kelati and shot putter Jaida Ross from the University of Oregon. And there will be stories of those who come up just short, like Sha’Carri Richardson in the 200 meters. … The men’s 100-meter winner did add the 200 to his resume, with Noah Lyles doing it in meet-record time. … Speaking of reaching a goal, making the U.S. OIympic team just doesn’t mean finishing in the top three. Runners have to meet the Olympic standards as well. The way 3,000-meter steeplechase runner James Corrigan did that yesterday is pretty amazing.
Hoopfest: We’re going to finish up with Hoopfest today not because it is last in our mind but because we are using the movie credit philosophy. Actors who can’t get first billing always ask to be listed last among the cast in the pre-movie credits. People remember the final name. And you should remember the 3-on-3 tournament’s Saturday highlights. We start with Jesse Tinsley’s photo gallery, which catches the variety of action in a tournament that ranges from youth courts to ones with former professional players. … Speaking of former pros, Gary Payton was in town. Greg Woods’ notebook includes his conversation with Payton. … The final story to pass along comes from Cannon Barnett, covering the community aspect of the event.
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• We are pretty sore this last morning of June – and we didn’t even play in Hoopfest. We just played the role of court monitor for about six games. Our age, and recent surgery, is showing. Until later …