THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: The M's numbers mean ... it's time to show us the money

Baseball is cluttered with numbers.

A new stat pops up every time a hitter adjusts his batting glove, or a pitcher flips the rosin bag a few inches further than the last guy.

The game is actually far simpler than all these analytics gangs and junior accountants make it seem.

However…

Some numbers do matter.

Really, really matter.

They can tell you the story of a team, a season, and what direction that particular gang is headed. 
I’ve seen plenty of meaningful statistics over the years, along with the conclusions you can draw from them.

But I doubt that I’ve ever…

Ever…

Seen a number like the one that tells you the tale of this year’s Mariners – and beyond that, how they might become a legitimate contender next year and beyond.

In fact, when you first see this stat, you might be tempted to suspect that it’s a misprint.

Let’s have a drumroll for this…

Through games played last weekend, Seattle had a record of 50-19 when scoring four or more runs.

THAT’S A preposterous figure.

The Mariners’ entire win total was 63 (against 56 losses), which pretty much tells you that when they’re scoring at all, they’re winning.

I mean, you don’t have to be the 1927 Yankees to reach the magic four-run total.

(Yes, that was sarcasm.)

For what it’s worth, Seattle was averaging 4.2 runs per game — 12th in the American League — so a couple of things become immediately obvious.

First, the club’s administrators, scouts, evaluators and instructors have put together a terrific pitching staff.

Despite a seemingly endless wave of injuries (James Paxton, Marco Gonzales, Justus Sheffield and Justin Dunn among projected starters), and the need to move shutdown stopper Kendall Graveman just prior to the trade deadline, the M’s get a pretty well pitched game almost every night.

When Toronto did some damage against rookie Logan Gilbert in an 8-3 victory last Sunday, it broke a streak of 14 consecutive games in which Seattle starters allowed three runs or less.

The bullpen has been even better, even without the almost-unhittable Graveman.

The Mariners’ brass has developed a knack for finding relievers on the waiver wire, among independent leagues, throughout obscure foreign countries, etc.

That gift for filling a stout bullpen has a lot to do with the Mariners’ 25-14 record in one-run games.

THE OTHER thing that’s so ridiculously obvious from looking at these numbers, it should be put in a billboard-size memo to majority owner John Stanton.

It’s time to spend some money.

When GM Jerry Dipoto explained the “step-back” plan in which the club would shed as many salaries and can’t-quite-win veterans in favor of a full rebuild three years ago, he asked for patience.

Stanton and the suits in their paneled offices said at the time that when the move toward younger players began to bear fruit, the Mariners would spend some serious bucks to get the team over the top.

Think of the Padres, who built a fun team of kids through their farm system — but when they saw future star Fernando Tatis Jr. coming along, they pulled the trigger, signing big-money veterans Eric Hosmer and Manny Machado, and trading for pricey stars like Blake Snell.

And now their only goal is the World Series.

The Mariners were a couple of years behind San Diego, but the plan is almost exactly the same.

The talented kids are either in Seattle and or coming soon, via a farm system rated No. 1 in baseball.

The ability to build a solid pitching staff seems like a club trait.

So, now…

It’s time for Stanton and Co. to show us the money.

A couple of stars who can hit when it matters must be sprinkled across the roster, changing the Mariners from a thrilling young bunch to a team that doesn’t plan to watch the World Series on TV.

Credit to Dipoto: It’s all worked so far.

Now Stanton and his pals must reach for their wallets.

As the late football coach Hank Stram loved to say: “OK, boys, let’s see some pictures of the dead presidents!”

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Steve also writes Zags Tracker, a commentary on Gonzaga basketball which is published monthly during the offseason.