Mariners keep their playoff hopes afloat
When you’re dead, you’re dead.
Except when you aren’t.
The Mariners somehow rose from their coffin over the weekend, rejoining the playoff race with a Lazarus-like, four-game sweep of the World Series champion Astros.
In Houston, no less.
If you’re looking for a place to turn around a month-long slide — the kind M’s fans know all too well — it wouldn’t seem that Minute Maid Park would be your first choice.
The Astros are shorthanded a bit, sure, with Jose Altuve and George Springer out injured, but you don’t figure to make much hay against the best rotation in the majors.
Yet over four stunning days, the Mariners waded through Charlie Morton, Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Dallas Keuchel.
You aren’t supposed to do that.
They finished it off on Sunday with the kind of victory that — if exciting things happen down the road — you probably remember because you drew a big red circle around it.
The M’s saw a 2-0 advantage disappear late in that finale, chiefly because set-up man Alex Colome and closer Edwin Diaz had pitched in all three of the previous games and were deemed unavailable.
WHEN THE Astros rallied and rolled into the ninth with a 3-2 lead, you had to figure that the series had been a success, but ...
Not quite perfect.
Maybe, though, this might be a different kind of season.
Your hint came when Ryon Healy hit a two-out homer to tie the thing, and then Mitch Haniger (9 for 17 in the series) doubled home Dee Gordon in the 10th.
So much for Diaz’s day off.
Edwin came on, threw 10 straight strikes for his 46th save, and the Mariners were off to Oakland and some hardball against the sizzling Athletics.
These mostly cast-off A’s were 34-36 on June 15, but have proceeded to win 36 of their last 48 games.
Yowza!
No matter what happens in this Oakland series, though, the fight is on and the M’s intend to be part of it.
There have been plenty of good signs.
Haniger was in a terrible slump, but he’s just too good to stop hitting — so now he’s begun raking the ball from the leadoff spot.
Erasmo Ramirez appeared after missing three months with a strained shoulder, took Felix Rodriguez’s place in the rotation, and delivered five shutout innings on 79 pitches.
The new rotation may look strange without Felix, but it’s set.
And solid.
OH, AND do you recall a ghost named Robinson Cano?
Robbie rejoined the team in Oakland after a rehab stint at Tacoma — sweet swing intact but not exactly looking like he’s been on the Mediterranean Diet after his long, long suspension.
You’ve got to think manager Scott Servais cares little about Cano’s growing backside, however, if that bat is as lethal as ever.
Servais has been coy about where exactly Cano will land — especially with Gordon’s exceptional play at second base giving the M’s pitchers so much help.
First? Third? DH?
They’re all possible, obviously, but the Mariners’ only real semi-open spot is center field, and Cano obviously ain’t lumbering out there.
Gordon CAN play center with Cano moving back to second, but do you really want to start moving all the pieces on a team within touching distance of 20 games over .500?
Servais will earn his salary, trying to wedge Cano’s bat into the lineup without shattering either his defense or the M’s chemistry.
However it plays out, these Mariners seem determined not to go away.
We may still have autumn baseball in Seattle.
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Steve Cameron is a columnist for The Press.
A Brand New Day appears Wednesday through Saturday each week. Steve’s sports column runs on Tuesday.
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