I never thought I would be saying this. The Seattle Mariners are unexpectedly dominant this MLB season. They may be currently third place in the AL West, but they have compiled an impressive 65-48 record approximately 70% of the way through the season. Although many Mariners fans and Seattle sports fans, in general, are excited to see the team performing fairly well for the first time in seemingly forever, I see the reason to pump the brakes on the optimism just a little bit.
The Seattle Mariners have no World Series titles yet, so it is important not to raise hopes too high because the fall will be that much greater if they fail to win the World Series this year. After so much failure, it is never a good idea to simply assume that a team will win a championship after a sudden stretch of success.
As mentioned before, the Mariners are only in third place in their division, behind the Houston Astros and the recently surging Oakland Athletics. Houston is the current AL West leaders and defending World Series champions and are seeking to repeat and claim another title, so they are more determined than ever before. Oakland is currently on a hot streak, winning six consecutive games since July 30. They have overtaken Seattle with a 67-46 record. The Mariners have no time to rest on their laurels as they enter a crucial stretch of the season.
Another reason for refraining from excessive optimism is some of the Mariners' recent performances in games. The most prominent example of cause for concern for Mariners fans is the four consecutive blowout losses at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays, which featured a complete thrashing by pitcher Mike Hauschild. Hauschild was released by the Houston Astros three days prior to that game and was signed by Toronto on August 2, the day before the game. On top of that, he did not have a professional track record before that one game. If the Mariners are to be taken seriously as a legitimate contender for the playoffs, they cannot afford to suffer losses like that to inexperienced players.
Finally, there is the fact that the Mariners have not played all of the high-level teams in the league yet. Chiefly, the top teams in the NL. Even if they make it to the World Series, the Mariners will have to face one of those teams and there is no telling what will happen in that scenario. Teams like the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and Milwaukee Brewers all look promising and could be unpredictable if Seattle manages to meet them in battle.
In addition, the Mariners have struggled against a few of the top teams in the AL. They were swept by the New York Yankees, struggled against the Boston Red Sox, and lost most of their games against the Astros.
In short, it is fine to be optimistic for the Mariners with their recent success, but it may be wise to refrain from expecting an abundance of victories for the rest of the season.
Settle down with the championship talk.
