The Mariners know how to undercut expectations with the best of them. It's become something of an art form, breaking hearts every time they're touted as a team to reckon with.
In the long litany of oversold and under-performing Mariners teams, this year's model has hit all the frustratingly familiar notes. Struggling vets? Check. Overmatched youngsters? Check. Damaging injuries? Check. Lack of foresight in team building? Check. Sub-optimal financial commitment in the offseason? Check.
The result so far is what everyone has seen — a wretched stretch of 19 losses in 25 games that has put the Mariners at a crisis point just one-fourth of the way through the season. All is not lost, despite the utterly warranted collective wailing that grew in intensity as the losses mounted. Just look at the Atlanta Braves, who were still under .500 in late July last year and won the World Series. The 2019 Washington Nationals were 19-31 on May 23 and did the same. But it's way too late to be early, as Yogi might have said — and turnarounds of that nature are exceedingly rare.
