THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Possible sparks for M's: Robles, Chargois and, yes, Garver

Let’s climb out on a limb. 

Can the Mariners hold off the despised Houston Astros and win the AL West? 

Of course they can. 

Seattle has 49 games left, and a one-game lead over the Garbage Cans. 

No problem. 

As for the “limb” business I mentioned, let’s try something a little different. 

Look, we know the obvious spots where each of these clubs must improve if they hope to play their best. 

Houston has struggled with injuries to its starting pitching, and All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker already has missed a couple of months with a shin injury. 

On top of missing Tucker, lightning rod Jose Altuve seems to have lost his power and has been settling mostly for soft singles since the start of July. 

These are not the fearsome Astros of the past few years. 

Which brings us to the roller coaster Mariners. 

This would be a different team with Julio Rodriguez, J.P. Crawford and reliever Gregory Santos healthy and firing. 

For this exercise today, though, let’s just take the team as it is, and figure out if it can win the division anyway. 

WHO CAN step up and give the Mariners a jolt when they need it most? 

OK, our first candidate is easy. 

Victor Robles doesn’t suddenly have to find some skills hidden out in the garage. 

Nope, Victor just has to keep standing on the gas pedal. 

This is a gifted player — once ranked No. 4 overall by Baseball America as a rookie prospect — who has “plus” tools in every category except power, and even there he has the strength and bat speed to hit some bombs. 

But everything else? 

He’s obviously a terrific defender with elite speed (10 for 10 stealing bases since coming to Seattle), and he can manipulate the bat well enough to hit for a respectable average. 

So, how does a player like this, still just 27 years old, get released by the Washington Nationals? 

“A lot of it had to do with injuries,” said Nats manager Davey Martinez said. “He’d come back and he’d change some things, but for me he has to find what his identity is.  

“He’s made a lot of changes in his hitting. Hopefully he finds that spot where he’s comfortable.” 

Martinez admitted that cutting Robles loose was emotional. 

Victor was the last position player left from Washington’s World Series champs in 2019. He was the regular center fielder on that team and played every inning of the Series. 

Consistency after that has been difficult, however. 

“He’d play well and then get hurt,” Martinez said. “Then he’d change his game to try staying in the lineup. It was frustrating, because he’s a good player. 

“We don’t win that World Series without him.” 

Robles played 530 games in eight seasons for the Nationals, and it’s hard to keep much rhythm at the plate at that rate. 

There’s no doubt that Robles is a heck of a player. 

The Mariners need to light candles that he’d done getting hurt.

BEYOND keeping Robles healthy (he’s already missed two games after crashing into a wall to make a catch), where else can the Mariners find some surprise help? 

Let’s look for some wild cards. 

On the power front, can’t Mitch Garver bang some balls off and over fences here in the final two months? 

He’s not Aaron Judge, but Garver has produced reliable extra-base power over an eight-year career — and delivered the World Series-winning hit for Texas last fall. 

But at the moment, Mitch is hitting just .167 — with 12 homers, and only 38 RBIs. 

He’s been booed at T-Mobile and found plenty of ugly conversation on social media. 

Garver still thinks he’s got something to help the Mariners. 

“I've never quit anything,” Garver said. “I'm certainly not going to quit this. They're going to have to rip the jersey off my back. “I made a two-year commitment to this team. They believe in me, my teammates believe in me.  

“It's a matter of just making it click and when it does, good things will happen.” 

Fair enough. 

Now, we need one last piece to fall out of the sky and help these Mariners — specifically, another solid arm for the bullpen. 

With Matt Brash out for the year having Tommy John surgery, the M’s acquired Gregory Santos to take the backup role with Andres Munoz handling the ninth inning. 

Santos has been hurt most of the year, as well, so the club had to find help at the trade deadline. 

Yimi Garcia is a tested pro who will help, but I’m anxious to see the second tour of Seattle for JT Chargois. 

Chargois pitched for the M’s in 2021, starting on a minor league deal and moving up. 

When they had a chance to grab him from the Marlins in July, they took it. 

“I love what he did with us before,” manager Scott Servais said. “He grew into a pretty big role for us.  

“It took him a while to understand what we were looking for. But he's had a good run." 

Another good run could help win the AL West. 

Email: scameron@cdapress.com 

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through Friday unless, you know, stuff happens. 

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”