Mariners can pull away in AL West on trip vs. Tigers, Orioles, Red Sox, Nationals

The Mariners have an opportunity to show us who they are.

Not tell us, which is what manager Dan Wilson did Wednesday. After a 7-1 stinker against the New York Mets, Wilson summarized what went well in Seattle's snapped eight-game winning streak.

"The defense has been so solid," Wilson said. "The pitching has been really strong, both starters and the bullpen. Then the offense has been so consistent. I think all three of those areas have been really consistent. That's what we'll continue to do as we get started again on Friday. That's what we have done. That's who we are as a team. That's how consistent we can be."

The key word, unsurprisingly, is the one he (and I) can't stop saying:

Consistent.

Because the Mariners were anything but in their season's first two maddening months. They couldn't consistently hit in the clutch, couldn't consistently defend, couldn't consistently protect leads or protect T-Mobile Park, couldn't consistently lash lefties, couldn't consistently be who they claim or aspire to be. They couldn't consistently muster momentum, winning back-to-back series only once. They couldn't consistently capitalize on a division begging to be beaten.

Until, as Wilson stated, the overdue eight-game winning streak.

Consider Seattle's before-and-after in several critical spots.

First 54 games (25-29)

• .225 batting average (29th in MLB)

• .215 batting average with runners in scoring position (29th)

• .689 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage, 21st)

• .594 OPS against lefties (30th)

• 60 home runs (10th)

• 218 runs (20th)

• 3.66 ERA (eighth)

• 1.23 WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched, tied for seventh)

• 7-12 in one-run games

Eight-game winning streak

• .293 BA (third)

• .302 BA with RISP (sixth)

• .887 OPS (third)

• .785 OPS against lefties (11th)

• 21 HR (first)

• 48 runs (tied for sixth)

• 1.92 ERA (first)

• 0.83 WHIP (first)

• 3-0 in one-run games

So, who are the Mariners - the frustrating, underperforming club that crawled through its first 54 games; or the complete World Series contender that finally showed its face?

Because Wednesday's 7-1 loss cruelly encapsulated the former. The Mariners made two errors, one of which directly resulted in the Mets' first run. New York scored on a Little League double steal as well, when Jhonny Pereda failed to cut down Juan Soto at second, allowing Carson Benge to coast home from third. The Mariners were buried by bad bounces (a dribbler that hit the first-base bag and skipped by Josh Naylor to score another run) and lethal lapses (Pereda being called out with two runners on after asking for a second timeout in the same at-bat). Seattle went 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position, leaving six on base.

Of course, it's easy to accept a sloppy loss when it's paired with an eight-game winning streak. As Wilson summarized Wednesday: "We knew (this winning streak) was coming our way at some point. All good things must come to an end. Now we just start a new one on Friday."

By now, we know that's easier said or written than replicated. With a 33-30 record and a 2 1/2-game lead over the Athletics and Rangers in the AL West, Seattle is embarking on an extended 10-game road trip. The next 16 games should show us plenty - with winnable series against the Detroit Tigers (25-38), Baltimore Orioles (30-33), Washington Nationals (31-32), Orioles again and Boston Red Sox (26-35).

There's opportunity to extrapolate that eight-game winning streak into something more sustainable.

"We understand what it takes," Wilson said. "These guys in that clubhouse, they delivered in a big way (during the winning streak). Now we just start doing the same things. We're just going to be on the road.

"But it doesn't matter what ballpark you're in. It doesn't matter who's on the other side. We've talked about the three phases of our game, and if we get back to consistently doing all three of those things, we're going to be in really good shape."

As for the third phase? Seattle's defense still sits 29th in baseball in outs above average (minus-18) and dead last in runs prevented (minus-15), a glaring weakness after 63 games.

But there are reasons to believe the winning streak is more than a mirage. Seattle's sprint came without All-Stars Cal Raleigh and Brendan Donovan, both of whom will be back (with Raleigh's rehab assignment starting Sunday in Everett). With six proven starting pitchers, and two more among the top 10 prospects in baseball (Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan), the Mariners are positively loaded on the mound. And though outfielders Randy Arozarena and Julio Rodríguez have been steady contributors, the success of 22-year-old second baseman Cole Young and 20-year-old third baseman/shortstop Colt Emerson is encouraging for the present and future alike.

Starting Friday, Seattle plays 16 consecutive games against teams currently floundering below .500. Consider this an opportunity for sustained consistency.

It's an opportunity to turn a streak into an onslaught - to show, not tell, that the next 99 games will be better than the first 54.

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