The Mariners are out to a very disappointing 8-13 start, but one of the most prominent insiders in the sport still believes in them.
The Seattle Mariners offense was largely non-existent again on Friday night, as the M's were shut out by the Texas Rangers 5-0 at T-Mobile Park.
It's the fourth time this season that the Mariners have been shut out, and they've dropped to 8-13, one of the most disappointing marks in the league.
While fan confidence is fading right now, they do have a believer in ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney, who spoke with the 'Refuse to Lose' podcast before Friday's loss.
"I would say that it's still early. I think that, generally speaking, we don't have a large enough sample size to know exactly what's going on here, because when you go through the team, overall, they actually have a +4 run differential, which, as you know, you and I have talked about this before, front offices look at that as being a really important barometer for how the team is playing.
And, you know, +4 at this point, 20 games in is not great, but it's also not 'the sky is falling.' If you look at the individual pitching performances, (Andres) Munoz obviously has struggled. He's talked about his slider. That's the concern. But I really think it comes down to three players.
I think it comes down to the three guys, the middle of your lineup that you're counting on to hit offensively, when it comes to Julio (Rodriguez), when it comes to Cal (Raleigh), and when it comes to Josh Naylor. And I think once those guys started hitting, this will be a very different looking team."
Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor (12) hits a single against the Texas Rangers during the sixth inning at T-Mobile Park. Steven Bisig-Imagn ImagesAgain, these comments were made before Friday's loss, so the M's run differential is now down to -1. The expected win-loss record is 10-11, suggesting the M's are slightly better than their actual record shows.
To Olney's point, the Mariners can't do much if the middle of the order is not performing. Rodriguez (.203), has just one home run and six RBIs. Raleigh (.163) has just two home runs, and Naylor (.141) has just seven RBIs.
We can complain about a lot of things with the Mariners right now, but the list of issues really starts there.
The Mariners will look to get back on track on Saturday night in another tough matchup with the Rangers. First pitch is set for 4:15 p.m. PT as George Kirby battles against Nathan Eovaldi. Eovaldi beat the Mariners earlier this season, and Seattle is 0-4 against Texas already on the year.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
Remember to join our MARINERS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Mariners fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!