It is time to return to the (non-political) polls, friends

Greetings guys, gals, and non-binary pals! Welcome back to FanPost Friday. Apologies for the absence last week. I was on a little vacay with family. I got to watch most of the Mets series, which still does not feel like they actually won. As Jake Mailhot deftly points out, there’s a reason for that:

But, in the end, they don’t ask how...they ask how many. Unfortunately, the latter part isn’t really working out for the Mariners as this May swoon has landed them in fourth place in the AL West, below even the 1.5-pitcher-having Texas Rangers. Shit’s rough out here, man.

On this week’s podcast, Evan James took an optimistic stance and mused that anecdotally, this May swoon is a common narrative recently for these Seattle Mariners and it’s still plenty possible that they bounce back. That made me want to look up just how common it’s been that the Mariners have played poorly in May because to my own recollection of the last 10 seasons or so, yes, that does feel pretty accurate. Let’s take a look!

Mariners W-L Records in May, 2011-2021

2021: 13-15
2020: N/A, eat shit COVID-19!
2019: 7-21
2018: 18-11
2017: 14-14
2016: 17-11
2015: 14-14
2014: 16-14
2013: 12-14
2012: 12-17
2011: 15-11
(Source: Baseball Reference)

Some interesting things here!

• First of all, 10 seasons is an arbitrary parameter here, and given that these teams all have different players and span two different front offices, trying to say there’s an actual narrative or trend remains mostly anecdotal.
• That said! Since 2019, yes, the Jerry Dipoto Mariners have played poorly in May and as they are currently 6-12 this May, this trend is continuing.
• Otherwise, it’s interesting how all the fun and near-playoff-berth seasons except for 2021 feature the Mariners playing quite well in May with winning records in 2018, 2016, and 2014.

I admit there isn’t a ton to take away from this, but I was mostly just curious to see if May really has been this dreadful month for the Mariners. The weather in Seattle and around the country does tend to be colder and wetter in May most years, and especially this year, and that can affect offense and how far the ball travels, so maybe there is something to that.

Well, enough narrative-pushing, let’s get to some POLLS!

Mariners May Swoon VIBE CHECK

The vibes, they are bad.

That’ll do it for me this week. Tune in next week when the Mariners will have hopefully survived Fenway Park and maybe, just maybe, have beaten up on the last place Oakland Athletics and we’re all feeling a little bit better. Time will tell! Have a great weekend, folks.