Game 7 - Easier said than done
These first seven games are surprising more than concerning.
The Mariners were undone early on Wednesday by a cascade of blunders and miscues. A hit batsman, a missed ball, a dropped third strike, another missed ball, wickets, a collision, a passed ball, an overthrow, a wide throw, a ball stuck in the wall, another dropped third strike, and probably more. The game was over before the Mariners came to bat in the fourth. They eventually lost 8-0.
âThat was not any fun,â Scott Servais said after the game. âWe did not have a good effort today.â
The mental errors and defensive miscues from Wednesday arenât isolated incidents. Weâve also seen in the first spate of games running through stop signs, bad sends, clock violations, dropped balls, over run balls, slow throws, poor throws, NO throws, and (again) probably more.
The fundamentals have been a mess, and the mistakes are compounded by an offense that has consistently looked outmatched. The Mariners now have an MLB worst 30% strikeout rate.
âWe have a good defensive club, but youâve got to play clean â unless your offense is really clicking and can overcome it,â Servais said after Tuesdayâs 5-2 loss. âOur offense is not really clicking yet. So, every out is so important.â
The Mariners ambition for the AL West relies on success in the intangible aspect of the game. The front office built a team projected to win 86 games, and they want to beat that projection by developing discipline, consistency, and accountabilityâi.e., limiting mental lapses and performing in high leverage situations.
It seemed like it was going pretty well, too. All spring we got reports hyping up the teamâs level of focus. We heard about their culture, their messaging, their core philosophy of collective action.
âI think this is the hungriest team Iâve ever had in spring training,â Servais said way back in February. âThis team is wired a little bit different based on what they went through last year.
It felt like they broke camp with an identity and positive momentum.
And now?
âThis team is still trying to figure itself out,â Servais said on Tuesday.
As I said last week, everybody sounds enlightened in Spring Training. You canât get off to a hot start just because you say you want to. You canât âdominate the zoneâ just because you distilled it and sold it to a willing audience. Defense canât be waved away with good philosophy.
The players can be hungry, they can be ruthless, but they still have to perform.
âWeâre capable of much better, and we need to pick it up,â Servais said after Wednesdayâs game. âOne thing we felt really good about this team when we put it together â I thought the lineup was going to be a lot deeper than it had been here in a while. And it looks great on paper. Now youâve got to go out and do it. And our guys will get it done. I really believe it.â
The Mariners are fine. Theyâre not the only team to struggle on offense or make a few mistakes.
But this first stretch is a good reminder that winning is easier said than done.