THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Signs of life in struggling M's offense for a change

Some of the stats have been beyond belief.

Where to start?

Well, you’d think the Mariners are cautious hitters who work the strike zone like diamond cutters who live with precision.

Seattle batters have taken more pitches than any other team in major league baseball.

Waiting for the pitch you want with that much care should give you a remarkable chance to put balls in play.

With force, too.

Instead, the Mariners lead the universe in strikeouts, and by light years.

If you want to fiddle with the alphabet, consider that Seattle (Ms) has struck out 1,367 times (Ks).

Yes, that’s almost exactly 10 strikeouts per game.

There are some bizarre anecdotes that have come with this strange season.

For instance, the Mariners blew a 1-0 lead and lost 3-2 to Tampa Bay Tuesday night — striking out 17 times against six pitchers along the way.

Leadoff man Victor Robles was the only Seattle batter to avoid a strikeout.

If you’re thinking there must be discussions and arguments within the organization about this season-long strikeout catastrophe, you’re right on target.

INDEED, two hitting coaches (Brant Brown and Jaret DeHart) have ultimately lost their jobs over this fiasco that has taken the Mariners batting average to dead last in MLB at .215.

There have been whispers that the data-driven M’s organization perhaps has turned the craft of hitting into such a scientific exercise that an entire batting order is paralyzed.

Ryan Rowland-Smith, a former major league pitcher who does commentary and analysis for the Mariners broadcasts, spoke up about the overly complicated messages Seattle hitters could be getting from their coaches.

“I listened to Brant Brown the other day. I’m sure he’s brilliant, but I’m sitting there listening to him talk — like, can you just answer the question, man?” Rowland-Smith told Seattle Sports.

“It’s just word salad on hitting. And I get he’s trying to go to another level scientifically, but if that’s the message he’s giving to hitters, the way he was talking … if I’m a hitter and I have to listen to this, I’m sorry, man.

“Like, I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel here.

Rowland-Smith focused specifically on Julio Rodriguez, and the struggles he’s had most of the season.

The issue during the Seattle Sports interview was Brown’s concentration on pitchers’ strategy — rather than working with Julio and his approach at the plate.

Rowland-Smith thought the Mariners coaching with Julio was backwards.

“(Brown) was talking about Julio — something about pitches in and pitches away. It’s like, no, no, why don’t we just say, ‘Hey, Julio, try and get your hands extended, bro?’

“That’s as simple as it is. See something out over the plate, let it rip.”

DID THE Mariners wait too long?

It was clear for months that quite a few hitters — professionals with track records of making contact with the ball — were getting mixed messages from the coaches.

Decent hitters were going backward instead of turning things around.

The tip-off might have been the newcomers.

Guys like Randy Arozarena (obtained just before the trade deadline) and Victor Robles (signed as a free agent) came to Seattle with their own version of comfortable swings.

Nobody has fooled with their approaches, and both players have had success.

Arozarena has always been a free swinger.

“I see a pitch I can hit, and swing hard,” he said in an interview with the Seattle Times.

Arozarena has been talking to Julio about an aggressive approach, and the result might be visible — even through the Marine Layer.

The Mariners have to hope it’s not too late to catch Houston in the AL West.

They’re 3 1/2 games behind, and we definitely can see signs of life.

Arozarena, Robles and Julio all homered in a 6-2 win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

The M’s begin a 10-game road trip to Anaheim, Oakland and St. Louis on Friday.

The pitching is still the pitching, and it gives the Mariners a nice comfort zone in which they can just relax, go out and play some ball.

And hit.

Finally.

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.”