It has been a while since the Seattle Mariners swept back-to-back series. On August 1, the Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-3 to complete a three-game sweep at home. The Mariners have won seven straight, and they are playing some of their best ball of the season. Granted, the Kansas City Royals weren't exactly a heavyweight opponent. In addition, the Jays are good, but not great. Will the streak continue when the Mariners go on the road?
Getting it done
The Mariners did just enough in the final game of the series to get the win. Blake Beavan gave up three runs over 7 2/3 innings. Seven Mariners got hits, including a two-run home run from new Mariner Eric Thames. Tom Wilhelmsen slammed the door in the ninth for his 15th save of the season. In other words, the Mariners got contributions from almost everyone and they are starting to look like a quality squad. Even Brendan Ryan is now hitting over .200 for the season.
Tough road trip
Now we get to see if the Mariners are actually building momentum or if this was their last gasp before they sink back into the depths of the cellar. Seattle now goes on the road and gets to play three games against the New York Yankees, three against the Baltimore Orioles and three against the division-rival Los Angeles Angels. Granted, the Mariners still have a slightly better record on the road this year than they do at home. Maybe that success will continue.
Making a run
It can be tough to follow a team like the Mariners. There are so many ups and downs during the season, and over the last couple of seasons there have been a lot of downs. I can't get excited about a midseason winning streak like this because I know the Mariners are still in a hole. Still, they are only 7 1/2 games out of the Wild Card spot. Anything is possible.
Go Mariners!
Sources:
http://espn.go.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=320801112
The author lives in Los Angeles, but grew up in Seattle and still roots faithfully for the Mariners even though they are sometimes frustrating to watch. He gets to Seattle whenever he can to see his M's. You can follow him on Twitter @tpheifer.
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