August is upon us, and with it comes the biggest test of the season.
The Mariners have the 23rd hardest strength of schedule remaining, but as a good joke, MLB put all the hard games in August. Over the next month, the Mariners will have to play the Rays, Yankees, Astros, Brewers, Cubs, Phillies, and Red Sox, after coming off of the Rangers and Dodgers.
This is not good. This is in fact bad. I don’t want to see this already struggling Mariners team have to tackle two division leaders, the team that just won 15 games in a row, their own biggest rival, the team that employs the god among men Kyle Schwarber, the team that employs Mariner killer Alex Bregman, and the goddamn New York Yankees. In one month.
This is a Mariners team that cannot catch a break. After giving up the division lead to the Rangers, they have come out of the All-Star break looking very sloppy. Dropping a series out of the gate to the formidable last place Cincinnati Reds is not a sign that the rest of the season is going to go well. So what does last year’s AL runner-up have to do to even think about making a run in October? Let’s go through this horrid-looking month of baseball to find out what these games will look like.
Vs Twins (7/31-8/2): The Twins might be buyers at the deadline, sitting around the same place as the Mariners, so this Twins team wants to win this series badly. Put your hopes in Cole Young to have the same performance as he did earlier in the year against this team.
Vs Tigers (8/4-8/6): Avoid Skubal, or hope he’s been traded by then. This will be the easiest series of the month, which means nothing. Without Skubal, the Tigers have Framber Valdez and not much else. I haven’t been scared of Framber for years now, and the Mariners know how to get to him. Run back the ALDS, and win it again.
Vs Rays (8/7-8/8): Don’t pitch to Junior Caminero. Just don’t do it. I can already picture George Kirby giving up a 4th inning, 3-run shot to him. Just avoid him and hope for the best.
@ Yankees (8/11-8/13): This will have to be a pitcher’s duel, which is not ideal knowing how the Mariners pitch on the road. The only one I trust to perform in Yankee Stadium is Logan Gilbert. Don’t get swept, and don’t let Ben Rice get too many hits.
@ Astros (8/14-8/16): The Astros can’t pitch. They haven’t been able to all season. This is a good series to find footing again if the last few didn’t go well. Julio in mid-August rakes in Houston. The Mariners could sweep this series if they really find it within themselves. Just score six runs a game and don’t be surprised when Yordan Alvarez hits bombs.
@ Brewers (8/18-8/20): The Miz is going to turn this team into a statistic, maybe “most strikeouts where the batter’s helmet flew off” or “most sheepish look walking back to the dugout”. I dread seeing the postgame interviews after that one. Grin and bear it.
Vs Cubs (8/21-8/23): Last year these teams scored about one billion runs in three games. But this year the series is in Seattle, and Cal Raleigh is not himself. I still expect a slugfest, but temper your expectations a little. Maybe this is still a time for Cal to shine.
Vs Phillies (8/24-8/26): The Phillies are 6-3 against the Mariners in the last 3 seasons, and obliterated them in three games last year. The Phillies are gearing up for a playoff run, and the desperation is there with their aging lineup. The Mariners have been lacking in conviction recently, something Philly will not struggle with. Right now, they will want it more. Some sort of Philly spirit maybe?
@ Blue Jays (8/28-8/30): Obliterate them. Embarrass them. Let the Cal Raleigh that we all know is in there loose. Canada hates Cal Raleigh. Get mad. Get even. I need to take a break and go throw darts at the picture of George Springer I have on the wall.
@ Red Sox (8/31-9/2): I was really hoping that the Red Sox would be selling, and the Mariners could get Garrett Whitlock from them. That prospect is gone now, and the Red Sox have jumped the line into a playoff spot. Who knows if that was a fluke, but as of right now they are a contender again, and it would have been really nice to not have to worry about them. But that’s how this season has gone, I guess. Just get to their starters, and don’t get into a situation where this Mariners lineup needs clutch hits against Whitlock or Chapman.
Looking at all that, it will take some sort of miracle to come out of this month in a playoff spot, or even with a chance at one. September will be a much easier month, with a large handful of Angels and Athletics games in there, but that won’t matter if the Mariners’ season is already over by September 1st.
This has been a frustrating season (I think I have written that sentence for the last three posts), and if something doesn’t change, it’s going to be over very soon.
Go M’s,
Henry “Ugh” Neiman