Fight the Notion That the Seattle Mariners Are Done

Yes, it is a surprise that the Seattle Mariners are here in the first place.

Yes, 99% of this roster has never been in playoff contention before.

Yes, they are three games back.

Yes, the pitching is falling apart.

Yes, they have lost nine of 12.

But with all that said, THEY ARE STILL ALIVE!

Everyone seems to be moving on to next year. And that’s not to say next year won’t be better than this year.

With the exception of Felix Hernandez, Robinson Cano and Hisashi Iwakuma, just about every key player on this team has not yet reached his prime. Kyle Seager, Mike Zunino, Michael Saunders, Brad Miller, Chris Taylor, James Jones, James Paxton, Taijuan Walker and Roenis Elias are still on the rise. Not to mention Logan Morrison and Dustin Ackley, who are just now hitting their stride.

However, this season isn’t over.

Remember that eight-game losing streak early in the season? The Mariners would go on to win 10 of their next 12 while scoring almost six runs per game. If their bats can get out of a slump and jumpstart the team into a winning streak like that, there is absolutely no doubt that the (still AL-leading) pitching is capable of doing the same.

The Mariners trail the Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals by three games in the Wild Card. With four games left, I’m not saying it’s likely they make the playoffs. But it is absolutely too early to count them out.

The Royals are as streaky a team as there is in baseball, and have had slumps this year where they lost: six-of-eight (x2), seven-of-eight, eight-of-ten and five in a row.

The A’s have a four-game series with the Texas Rangers, a team who swept Oakland last week!

As much as the national and, disappointingly, the local media are putting a fork in the 2014 Seattle Mariners, don’t turn your back just yet.

This is September baseball. Crazier things have happened.