Annoying Grind: A June to Forget
June hit the Mariners in the mouth and hasn't let up. Two weeks off for a graduation and a camping trip, and we didn't miss much beyond an annoying grind. Since the last show we've gone 7-9, two games under .500 after sitting near the top of the league since May 25th. A 4-6 road trip, then 3-3 at home. The wild part: we're a game over .500 at 40-39 and still in first place, because the AL West and the whole AL are that bad. Outside the Yankees and their plus-112 run differential, nobody has separated. We're at plus-17. The division is a blanket, with the A's a game and a half back, the Rangers two, the Astros three, and even the Angels only eight out.
The injuries are the story. We had two-thirds of the Opening Day lineup on the IL at some point on the trip, almost all position players this time, which beats last year's run of pitching injuries since the rotation can still carry us. Cal is back behind the plate and you can see his impact on the starters, but the power isn't there yet. Still think he's good for 25. Donovan remains a total mystery, no rehab outings, no updates. Randy should be eligible tomorrow and we need his bat. Julio and Josh both missed time dinged up, and Julio's average has slid to .247, which is starting to scare me. Then Dom pulled up holding his hamstring, called minor and day to day. Somebody get Rick Griffin back in here.
Defense got sloppy too. Naylor botched a routine glove flip to Gilbert covering the bag, not what you want from a five-year, ninety-million-dollar first baseman. The bright spot is JP sliding to third so Colt Emerson can play his natural shortstop. The captain gave up his career spot and has looked sharp over there.
The rotation question is the piggyback. They went back to it with Miller and Castillo, but it leaves us short in the pen and it backfired Friday. At some point Castillo has to move to long relief or the ninth, though neither of us fully trusts him or a Jekyll-and-Hyde Munoz late.
Farm report is the good news. Kade Anderson is 8-0 with a 1.3 ERA at Double-A Arkansas, paired with Ryan Sloan. Dipoto says a callup is coming, likely two-inning spot starts to manage his innings.
Road trip in brief: should have won in Detroit but Munoz blew Sunday. Split four in Baltimore after stealing the first two on absurd replacement-level defense. A ten-run explosion in Washington, then the offense vanished, fifteen runs total over the next eight games. Home stand: pitching carried all three wins. Gilbert was vintage in the opener, 97-98 again, seven innings and ten punchouts in a 3-1 win. George cruised then derailed in game two. Woo was dominant at home, nine strikeouts into the eighth in a 3-0 shutout. Then Boston rolled out three lefties, our kryptonite, and ground us down with eighty-mile-an-hour singles while Suárez carried a no-hitter into the seventh. We took the Father's Day finale 3-1 behind another Gilbert gem to stay a game and a half up.
Around the league: Schwarber went off, 29 bombs with two in one inning, and Harper cycled the same game. Misiorowski throws 104 every pitch and looks untouchable, even if a couple of Tommy Johns feel inevitable. Skubal trade chatter is heating up, no thanks at his price. The White Sox might be for real, sitting in the second wild card.
Up next, Pittsburgh then Cleveland, both middling like us, both winnable if we play up to it. Randy is likely back this series. Knowing us it'll be excruciating, three runs a night, hanging on for dear life. A lot of hope, but a fearful hope.