Tuesday, August 16, 2011

MARINERS: We have Life

I have to be honest here. After the Mariners went on their franchise record losing streak and fell out of playoff contention, I lost all interest in the team. What was the point of tuning into the games? Listen to the groans of Mariners fans as the team fails to score any runs?

I decided to put the Mariners in the rearview mirror with college football set to begin and the NFL Lockout lifted. The M’s just weren’t worth my time anymore.

But then Eric Wedge decided to accept the facts.

To Continue...

Wedge realized that the Mariners aren’t going to win the division, let alone have a winning record. So, he and Jack Zduriencik decided to trade away starting pitchers Doug Fister and Erik Bedard in exchange for some much needed batters with the names of Casper Wells, Trayvon Robinson and Chih-Hsien Chiang.

The trades have already paid dividends, as Wells has a .359 AVG and 4 Homeruns through 11 games and Robinson having a .259 AVG through 8 games. Chiang is a lower level prospect that we should see playing in the majors soon.

But the real reason why the Mariners are 7-5 in their last 12 games is not all on the solid performance of Wells. It’s largely from a guy that came out of nowhere and has given Mariners fans hope better times are coming.

His name Mike Carp.

With the Mariners starving for offense, they have had to go to all corners of their farm system to find decent bats. Enter Mike Carp, who was called up from AAA Tacoma on July 17. Keep in mind that Carp played 14 games with the big league team back in June, only to flop on his face by batting .200 and not hitting a homerun.

But it’s been a different story here in July and August. In the 24 games he’s played in the last two months, Carp has collected a .371 AVG, 15 Runs, 6 Homeruns, and a beastly 26 RBI. The man leads the Majors in RBI for the month of August with 17 and is currently on a Major League leading 15-game hit streak.

His defining moment of the season was last night as Carp belted 2 homeruns to help the Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5. The emotion showed by the fans at Safeco the last two weeks has been absent most of the season and is a breath of fresh air.

While it’s been nice to see some offense and the Mariners win, what Mike Carp has done for me and likely a few other fans is revitalize the interest in the team. I’m not just wasting my time watching the Mariners lose anymore, rather watching them compete with a couple new bats.

I don't know how long this offensive surge will last, but I'm going to enjoy it as long as possible. Enjoy the little things with the rest of Mariners baseball 2011.

Reach Nathan Parsons at nathanparsons98@yahoo.com