The Mariners are Yankees: West Coast Edition…
the Olympic Committee is stuck in the past, and Kodai Senga is back.
Seattle Swings Amid Slump
What Happened: In yesterday’s edition of your favorite newsletter, we covered the New York Yankees’ swing in fortunes this season, and what implications that might have around MLB. Today, let’s keep it fair and look at the West Coast’s version of a team slumping badly and in need of a jolt.
The Seattle Mariners were enjoying a double-digit lead in the AL West standings just over a month ago. But injuries to stars Julio Rodriguez and J.P. Crawford, coupled with the Astros going 28-16 in the months of June and July (as of today,) has Seattle scrambling to keep its season on track.
Yesterday, Mariners G.M. Justin Hollander made his move, acquiring Randy Arozarena from the Tampa Bay Rays, hoping the slugger can help the M’s get back on track.
Why It Matters: Unlike the Yankees, the Mariners simply couldn’t wait and hope that they returned to their previous level of play. Per FanGraphs, New York’s playoff odds sit at 97.6%. Seattle’s has sunk all the way down to 38.5%.
Seattle’s pitching staff has posted the best ERA and WHIP in all of MLB; it’s been the bats that have let them down recently.
Arozarena should help rectify that. Despite a slow start, his 106 OPS+ this season would be the second-best figure in Seattle’s lineup.
Plus, Arozarena is a proven performer in big games; he slugged 10 homers in the 2020 postseason and has an OPS of 1.104 in 33 career playoff games.
The Mariners have slid to second in the West and trail Houston by a game; the Astros (-145, FanDuel) are now prohibitive favorites to capture the division crown over Seattle (+180), but if Arozarena can spark more productivity throughout the lineup, Seattle may have just saved its season.
How We’re Feeling Today
Questioning some choices made by the US Olympic Committee.
Apparently, sending over some famous folks from each country as ambassadors is a thing at the Olympics. Sure, why not, makes sense, etc.
But a quick perusal of the names America has sent over feels…a little dated. Just this morning, Snoop Dogg carried the Olympic torch around Paris, while the women’s water polo team is being hyped via press conference by…Flavor Flav? How did 1990s rappers seize a monopoly here?
We get it, Snoop is a massive international celebrity, and who doesn’t love seeing Public Enemy repped on the world stage. But honestly, if Vanilla Ice or MC Hammer appear alongside the equestrian team, we’ll have some questions about the criteria for celebrity representation at these games.
The Look Ahead
Kodai Senga STRIKEOUTS – This play would definitely veer into “dice roll” territory, but hear us out. Senga, making his season debut tonight, had a stellar rookie season in 2023 and even garnered some Cy Young votes. He presents a tough challenge, throwing from a three-quarters arm slot and mixing in five pitches, including his trademark “ghost forkball.” Coming back from injury should probably curb optimism, but we think Braves hitters will struggle to settle in against Senga without having seen him since last season. Atlanta has also struck out as a team 60 times in its last six games, so Senga has a decent shot to eclipse his 5.5-strikeout prop line.
