Two days after a dramatic extra-innings victory over Oakland in a series that was competitive if not fruitful, the Mariners rewarded the second-largest crowd to pack into Safeco Field this season -- 46,796 -- and the third largest in stadium history, with a dismal clunker of a performance.
The gap between the team they want or expect to be and the team they are currently performing as has rarely been a set space for more than a game or two for the Mariners.
It has widened and narrowed so much since July 1 that trying to figure out who the Mariners really should be in the final six weeks of the season is maddening.