It’s official, Seattle. The math has finally said no. Our Mariners’ postseason hopes are completely snuffed out, thanks to the Rangers’ 3-1 victory over the Mets this afternoon. We all felt it coming, but seeing it in black and white? That stings right to the core of every Emerald City fan. Now, with just four games left on the schedule, we’re left with nothing but meaningless baseball. Ugh.
The Final Pitch for Woo and an Angel’s Struggle
Tonight, we’ll see Bryan Woo make his final start of the year for the M’s. Think about that for a second. His last chance to make an impression before the long winter, in a game that literally doesn’t matter for our season goal. Across the field, the Angels are rolling out Grayson Rodriguez, a guy they picked up from us last winter for Taylor Ward. His 5.96 ERA and 4.85 FIP over 19 starts this year tell you everything you need to know about how that change of scenery worked out for him. Rough. At least for the Halos, there’s still one “exciting” thing on the table: a potential 100-loss season. Can you imagine? Mike Trout is still playing, at DH tonight, with defensive wunderkind Bryce Teodosio patrolling center field. But let’s be real, even 100 losses for the Angels can’t dull the pain of our own season ending like this.
Young Talent on Display, and a Bench Mystery
So, who are we watching for in these final meaningless games? We’re getting Lázaro Montes out in right field, which is cool. Always good to see a glimpse of the future, even if it’s under these sad circumstances. But seriously, what’s up with Michael Arroyo? The kid tragically remains on the bench tonight. Tragic is right! Why aren’t we seeing more of him in these games where the outcome doesn’t change anything for our playoff dreams? Instead, we’ve got newly-recalled Leo Rivas manning the hot corner, and the reliable J.P. Crawford and Cole Young holding down the middle infield. It just feels like a missed opportunity to truly let the young guys run wild and see what they’ve got when the pressure is off the scoreboard. But no, Arroyo stays glued to the pine. Heartbreaking for us, and probably for him too.
We’ve got four more of these to get through. Four more chances to see some baseball, maybe find a small spark of hope for next year, or just watch some guys play for pride. First pitch for tonight’s game is set for 6:40pm PDT. You can still catch it on Mariners TV or listen to Old Reliable on the radio. It’s not the September we wanted, not by a long shot, but we’re Seattle Mariners fans. We stick with our team, through the heartbreak and the hope. Let’s finish strong, even if the scoreboard doesn’t matter anymore.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Lookout Landing.
Leave a Reply