The Mariners have been playing a game of cat and mouse with the .500 mark the entire season. There’s no reason to suspect that this current foray up to the even-water level will be any different than the handful of other times all season. This is to be expected of a team with a star-studded lineup and terrible pitching staff.
MIKE ZUNINO IS GOOD AND HIT A BALL ALL THE WAY UP HERE pic.twitter.com/zk8RIdsaHR
— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) September 14, 2017
After years of struggles, Mike Zunino is actually a good MLB hitter. The former third-overall pick has hit .279/.376/.578 in the second half with 11 home runs and 11 doubles. The raw power in Zunino’s bat has always been undeniable, but he is finally finding more consistent contact and cutting down on his strikeouts.
Justin Upton’s impact on the Angels playoff hopes has been very minimal so far. In his first 11 games since coming over from the Tigers, Upton has hit only .268/.388/.415 with a lone home run. Brandon Phillips has done even less at second base, posting a .575 OPS in his first 50 at-bats. Upton has always been streaky from week to week.
The front office did their best to give Mike Trout some legitimate support in the lineup, and that is certainly laudable. The cost to acquire Upton and Phillips was minimal in terms of prospects, and the Angels have the financial means to absorb these two hitters. The real problem for Los Angeles is not the fact that Upton and Phillips have been underwhelming. Trout has hit only .270/.460/.486 in September. Teams have just stopped pitching to Trout, happy to walk him and see if someone else can produce.