Mariners in a nightmare spot as September begins

September is often a time of change of focus in baseball.

For teams in a playoff chase, the goal is right in front of them. It is go time.

For those who are not, the eye is often to the future. What can you get out of the remaining games? Young players get looks as veterans near the end of their careers see more time on the bench, or are even let go to make room for more young players.

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It’s not tough to motivate the young group. They can take the first steps in earning a job next year, and why not do so with the fun of playing spoiler as well? Finishing on a good note is also key for a team that did not hold playoff aspirations or expectations coming into the season.

The Mariners did hold those aspirations and expectations, however, and rightly so. Right now, they are in a nightmare spot. This is not the September anyone had planned. Technically, they are in between. Not mathematically eliminated from postseason contention, but definitely in miracle-required territory.

What’s particularly painful is they are still geared for more. You need look no further for evidence than Cal Raleigh on Sunday, catching a hot day game after a night game, crashing into a wall and tearing up his finger but insisting on staying in. Or see the anguish on Luke Raley’s face while recounting how he misread an infield chopper, which led to him making the well-thought-out but ultimately wrong decision on how to get to second base as the tying run in the ninth inning of a 3-2 loss to the Angels.

These guys don’t want to look toward next year, but they are dangerously close.

“We have a job to do, try to win every single game,” Raleigh said Sunday. “We have got to treat it like a sprint and not a marathon. We just have to try to find a way to get it done or we are going to be sitting at home come playoff time.”

The odds are against the Mariners, and the problems they are fighting still exist. It’s far too soon to expect significant impact from the change at manager and hitting coach with the samples too small to attribute any results positive or negative to the new voices.

Yes, there was jolt of energy at home with the now Dan Wilson-led crew winning back-to-back series for the first time in months. There was also the oh-too-familiar feeling of the good vibes from Seattle being followed with the crushing blow of dropping two more must-win games to a lesser opponent on the road.

Nine games into the new direction, we have seen the big home wins and one-run games go both ways. One dramatic walkoff win at home to give Wilson his first managerial win, one crushing walkoff loss with a trusted leverage arm on the hill that had the look of any number of road losses in the second half. We’ve seen clean games and we’ve seen mistakes. It was almost as if the past nine games were a crash course introduction of the 2024 Mariners to their new skipper.

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Are they right back where they started 10 days ago? In the standings, pretty much. The Mariners entered Monday one game over .500 and one game further back in the division. Those are the numbers. Have they played harder? Have they been more focused? That’s a call that’s tougher to make.

We can say we have seen improvement from Julio Rodríguez both in how he looks and is producing at the plate. We did see something similar from him earlier this season when he cut down the strikeouts, made more contact and pulled a few more balls in the air, but it didn’t last. Fingers are crossed, however, that they are on their way to getting him figured out – and what a contribution that would be from the Hall of Famer, interim hitting coach Edgar Martinez.

It could extend beyond Rodríguez. A concerted effort has been made to make some changes with the approach despite the lack of time to have it truly take hold. While, again, the samples are far too small to indicate real change, some of the offensive numbers are encouraging. Walks are significantly up – 13% since Aug. 23 versus 9.1% before – and the strikeout rate down (27.7% to 25.2%). On-base percentage, more of a controllable, not surprisingly is up while the slugging percentage (they are who they are in 2024) is slightly lower.

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While the Mariners don’t have the young players to give a September look, they have returning players who can give a different look as they hang onto the shred of a chance they have at postseason play. Again, these guys don’t want to be told it’s over, but the post-game feeling grows heavier and heavier with each loss.

We have yet to see a time this season where they don’t bounce back pregame the next day, however, and perhaps four games against an A’s team that has hit well in the second half (116 wRC+, fourth-best in baseball) but have suffered three walkoff losses in their last four games will extend September hope.

More on the Seattle Mariners

• Seattle Mariners promote two pitchers as rosters expand
• How Edgar thinks he can help Mariners in new era of MLB hitting
• Salk: Who can unlock Julio? Why Edgar Martinez has a shot
• Standout day shows glimpse of Mariners’ outfield potential
• Why Seattle Mariners’ offseason is an ‘easy fix’ according to ex-MLB GM

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