It’s hard to get much lower than the Mariners got this weekend.

What if the M’s don’t meet expectations this season?

Not only did the M’s get swept in four games by a Boston Red Sox team that had underperformed to that point in the season, and not only did Seattle end its road trip with a 3-7 record to sit at 17-25 overall, but Seattle lost in maybe the most gutwrenching way possible Sunday – on a 10th inning walkoff grand slam by Boston’s Franchy Cordero. Twisting the knife even more, Seattle had staved off defeat in the ninth inning on Eugenio Suárez’s two-out, tying solo homer, and the M’s even took a one-run lead in the top of the 10th.

The Mariners are now back home for a quick six-game homestand that starts with three against the Oakland A’s. Entering Monday’s 6:40 p.m. series opener, the Mariners are just a half-game ahead of the Athletics, meaning a series loss would send them to the cellar in the American League West.

So on earth what is going on? What are the big issues? And what are the Mariners doing to try to get back on track?

As we do every week, we caught up with baseball enthusiast Bob Stelton, the co-host of Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob, to get his reactions to the state of the Mariners. In this week’s new episode of Bob’s Baseball Breakdown, we talk to him about:

• How much the Red Sox sweep hurt and what it means for Seattle’s season
• His biggest concerns about the M’s right now
• The possibility of the Mariners selling at the trade deadline
• Veteran outfielder Justin Upton signing with the team
• Expectations for the M’s with a favorable upcoming schedule

Watch the video at the top of this post, and click the links below for more Mariners coverage from SeattleSports.com.

More on the Mariners

• Mariners DFA Souza, Toro to IL, activate Trammell and Haggerty
• MLB Network’s Morosi: Mariners’ lineup missing veteran leadership
• Dipoto: M’s trade deadline approach, balancing depth and playing young guys
• Dipoto: M’s looking for Kelenic to “have fun,” not specific changes in AAA
• Kyle Lewis swinging bat well, “hopefully really close” to return

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