M’s struggling out the gate, but there’s lots to like
TORONTO — The Seattle Mariners have been a disappointment over the opening seven weeks of the season.
Considered one of the heavyweights in the West, the Mariners sport a losing record and sat in third place in back of the unbelievable Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels heading into Thursday night’s play.
They have not however, come close to the disappointment that is the Toronto Blue Jays.
Following are five reasons — five players, actually — that make the Mariners a better team than the woeful Jays:
Felix Hernandez
The Mariners not only have a true ace leading their rotation but in King Felix, they have one of the best in the game. The Cy Young winner in 2010, Hernandez has finished runner-up in the voting on two other occasions (2009 and 2014).
Hernandez looks like he’ll be another candidate this season. After eight starts, the right-hander is 6-1 with a 2.30 ERA. In six of his starts, he has allowed two runs or less. The Blue Jays have no one in the same class.
Nelson Cruz
With apologies to Jose Bautista and his wonky shoulder, Cruz may be the most feared slugger in the league.
Although now 34, Cruz cashed in as a free agent and signed a four-year $58-million US contract. This season he has not disappointed as the righthanded slugger is hitting .351 with a league-high 16 home runs and 33 RBIs with a 1.121 OPS.
Fernando Rodney
From the opening day of spring training to now, the Blue Jays bullpen has experienced a lot of ebb and flow with Brett Cecil in as the closer, out of the closer role and back in.
In Seattle, the closer role belongs to Fernando Rodney. With Tampa Bay in 2012 and 2013, the righty logged 48 and 37 saves, respectively. Last year with Seattle, he totalled 48.
This season, Rodney has had his shaky moments as he is 1-2 with a 5.87 ERA. But he still has 10 saves and his ERA is skewed by two bad outings in April.
Robinson Cano
One of the best players in the game, Cano has not had a good start as he is hitting just .258 with one homer and 11 RBIs. By the end of the season, though, Cano’s stats should be back to his norm, a .300-plus average and 190-plus hits.
Cano’s homer total dropped in his first year with the Mariners, but at 32, he still has game.
J.A. Happ
Why can’t the Jays dig up a starter like Happ? Oh yeah, they did — and even though they were low in pitching depth, shipped him to the Mariners for Michael Saunders.
Happ got roughed up in his abbreviated start Thursday in Baltimore but in seven previous starts, five of them quality starts, Happ was 3-1 with a 2.98 ERA.