THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: One week later, plot thickens in AL West

The question was waiting among my emails on Monday morning. 

“Can the Mariners still win the division with their current roster?” 

Easy answer. 

No. 

We can discuss this a little further, but three reasons jump right to mind. 

ONE: The starting rotation is terrific, but there will be a bump in the road once in a while. 

Even Sandy Koufax got hit every couple of months. 

Back here among present-day mortals, Bryce Miller couldn’t control his splitter on Sunday in Miami, and he got rocked for six runs. 

It happens to everyone. 

Besides the occasional tough outing, you can’t ask ANY rotation — no matter how good — to go out and throw shutouts, night after night. 

TWO: Everyone wants to talk about the struggles of Julio Rodriguez (and it’s true, the Mariners All-Star hasn’t created any more offense than, say, Luke Raley). 

But the problem isn’t just Julio. 

Six of Seattle’s nine lineup regulars are hitting .213 or below. 

Mario Mendoza might have been in the No. 3 spot on this team. 

Jokes aside, the entire Mariners offense is striking out at a rate of 27.7 percent, the worst number in Major League Baseball by miles. 

Last Friday night in Miami, with the score tied 2-2 in the eighth inning, the M’s had runners at first and third with nobody out. 

Against the light-hitting Marlins, one run probably would have won the game. 

INSTEAD, J.P. Crawford, Dylan Moore and Rodriguez all struck out (on a total of nine pitches), and Miami won 3-2 in 10 innings. 

I’m sorry, but there are times that you absolutely have to put the bat on the ball. 

Moore drives me batty. 

It’s great that he can play any position on defense, and do it reasonably well — but can you really use a roster position for a bit of speed, when the player swings so hard that he strikes out 32 percent of the time and hits .212? 

I’ve heard from people who say: “What’s the difference between striking out and being retired some other way?” 

Here’s your answer: The Mariners just got finished being whacked around in Cleveland. 

The Guardians have struck out 543 times so far this season, as opposed to 800 for Seattle (beginning play Monday night in Tampa). 

Think about that.  

The Guardians have put the ball in play 257 times more often than the Mariners. 

That’s 257 chances for something good to happen. 

It’s, umm, not exactly a shock that the Guardians have outscored Seattle by 65 runs — despite playing five less games. 

THREE: I hear people say that Julio’s slump (and others') will pass, and that the Mariners not only have a team of mostly proven professionals, but they have a nice lead in the AL West. 

OK, it wasn’t the same as that 10-game cushion they enjoyed when arriving in Cleveland last week, but if someone told you that this team would have a legit lead in the division at the end of June, you’d have jumped for it. 

However, you’ve probably noticed that the Rangers and Astros have come flying out of nowhere to get involved in the division race. 

What’s most scary about this situation is that the Mariners, who surely must be thinking of moves before the trade deadline, have TWO teams to worry about — and they happen to be winners of the past couple World Series.

I NEVER exactly swooned over the way this Mariners team was constructed. 

In an era of speed, contact and defense, the M’s went out and got Mitch Garver, Jorge Polanco and (much as I like him) the aging Mitch Haniger. 

They were next-to-last in strikeouts a year ago, and now they’ve hit bottom. 

The team was already slow afoot, with Cal Raleigh and Ty France in the everyday lineup. 

Now add Garver and Haniger, and there are days when the Mariners look like an over-40 softball team. 

The combination of lacking speed and failing to make contact is not exactly a formula for storming to a division title. 

Yep, the pitching will get them close, especially if Gregory Santos is healthy and effective in the bullpen for the second half of the season. 

They really, really need Bryan Woo to regain his strength and begin blowing hitters away, too. However, he left Monday night's start with an apparent hamstring injury.

As for the offense? 

It needs help. 

For starters, I think maybe they should keep young Ryan Bliss in the lineup at second base — and even think about Tyler Locklear at first. 

For now. 

Eventually, they almost HAVE to make a trade or two. 

Watch these games this week against Tampa Bay, because there are some potential Mariners out there — Isaac Parades and Yandy Diaz, for instance. 

Seattle gurus Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander have a treasure trove of exciting prospects they can dangle, especially middle infielders that almost everyone needs. 

They WILL make a deal. 

At least one. 

Letting this shot at the division get away would be … uh, never mind. 

Fill in your own phrase. 

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.”