Kuzul

As the 2013 Major League Baseball season race reaches the quarter pole, it becomes time to take stock of where teams and players are in terms of production. In the American League West, the Texas Rangers have taken their customary position of being the front runner, largely due to tremendous pitching and consistent power in the lineup. The A's and Mariners have both been largely inconsistent, with the A's scuffling back to .500 since starting the year 12-4. However, the biggest story has been the lack of success in Anaheim as the Los Angeles Angels are not fighting for an expected spot at the top, but trying to keep clear of division newcomers the Houston Astros. In the basement.There have been solid performances from individuals on all five teams. But sometimes, overlapping positions keep deserving players from receiving deserved accolades. This will likely be no exception. So instead of lamenting who is not, ...

Did you know that Saturday night at Safeco Field is Dustin Ackley Bat Night?All kids 14 and under will receive a full-sized Dustin Ackley Louisville Slugger, complements of Jack Link's Beef Jerky. Seriously, I can't make this stuff up.Don't believe me?Feel free to check the official 2013 promotions and special events schedule at Mariners.com.Honestly, sometimes you need to laugh to keep from crying with this team.However, if you've already given up all hope, feel free to simply take the bat home to smash your "Smoakamotive" (eBay) from last year to pieces with it to vent your frustration. That's assuming you will make the journey to Safeco in the first place.   If I had to venture a guess, I'd imagine that more people in the region probably watched the NFL draft the past two days to see who the Seahawks selected in their quest for a Super Bowl than any of the Mariners' ...

Welcome to the big leagues Brandon Maurer.Thursday afternoon, fans of the Seattle Mariners had hoped to see the rookie hurler make the leap from Double-A to the majors unscathed following his impressive showing at spring training.  Unfortunately, the Oakland A's had other plans (Yahoo!Sports).Over the course of six innings, Oakland scored six runs on eight hits, two of which were home runs, against Maurer. Yet, what may have seemed like a step backward for the young Maurer, was actually an important step toward the future for the Seattle Mariners.After all, one bad outing does not make a season, and Maurer will likely have his fair share of ups and downs while in Seattle. More importantly, though Maurer's appearance should be the beginning of a new era for the Mariners, as they hope to move past a decade of mediocrity.Ever since general manager Jack Zduriencik took over the ballclub back in late 2008, ...

As the 2013 season begins, the Seattle Mariners, like many teams, have several story lines to monitor moving forward. Whether they are at the major league level now, or on the verge of being there, Mariners fans will have plenty to think about other than the win-loss record.It is far too soon for fans to start worrying about anything since it's only one series into the season, but there are still plenty of things that could be taken away after just four games in Oakland.With that in mind, here are the 10 story lines Mariners fans should be keeping an eye on early in the 2013 season.Follow @thejagepageBegin Slideshow

This spring, the Seattle Mariners have been, dare I say, entertaining. As an organization, there are quite a few positive signs to point toward for the future, but what about this season?With a mix of youth and experience, the team seems keen on taking a positive step forward toward competing in the American League West.  Do they have a shot to put up a fight against the Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers and Oakland A's? Or will they be fighting to stay out of the division cellar with the Houston Astros?Although it's always hard to place much value on what happens in spring training, for fun I wanted to see what are some of the key takeaways we've seen from Mariners camp as we approach Opening Day. Begin Slideshow

Remember Kyle Seager?Third baseman for the Seattle Mariners? It's strange, for a guy that led his team in a handful of key offensive categories last year, you're not hearing too much about him so far this spring. With all of the excitement surrounding Felix Hernandez's contract extension, the additions of Michael Morse and Kendrys Morales, and the questions surrounding the young trio of Dustin Ackley, Jesus Montero, and Justin Smoak, Seager seems to be a bit of an afterthought.I myself am guilty of this oversight given the fact that I lumped Seager in with the rest of the M's youngsters during my 2013 season preview earlier this week. Yet when you really think about it, it seems ridiculous to ignore a player who in his first full season as a professional hit .259 with 20 home runs and 86 RBI as the M's starting third baseman after he barely ...

For a team that was struggling for pitching depth about a week ago, the Seattle Mariners seem to be intent on having as many options as possible heading into the 2013 season.Geoff Baker has reported that the Mariners have come to a minor league agreement with 33-year old pitcher Jon Garland. This report was broken by Jason A. Churchill of Prospect Insider as well.Garland has not pitched since 2011, when he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In that season, Garland finished 1-5 with a 4.33 ERA in 54.0 IP before being shut down with shoulder surgery. Garland is better known for his eight-year stretch with the Chicago White Sox, with his best season coming in 2005 when he finished 18-10 with a 3.50 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP.Garland isn't the only project the Mariners have picked up this offseason, as they signed former Detroit Tiger Jeremy Bonderman to a minor ...

Josh Hamilton is off the market and I'm OK with that, but not everyone feels the same way.In fact, based on the response from most of the people I've spoken to and read, the Mariners' whiffing on Hamilton is a bit of a problem.Upon hearing the news, a good friend and long-time M's fan sighed, "It's going to be a long winter and summer at the rate things are going."Another friend lamented, "Are the M's ever going to turn things around, or are we all kidding ourselves?"I tried to reason with him for a few minutes, but he wasn't having it, as the situation seems well beyond repair at this point.  Funny thing is, he wasn't even all that keen on signing Hamilton in the first place.  For some though, the lost opportunity seemed to cut deeper and offered the perfect chance to exact retribution for the team's most recent ...

Let me begin by saying this is never an article I envisioned I would ever have to write.There are times in the world where we, the fans, lose sight of what is important in the world. We become so obsessed with free-agency signings, poor performances, wins, losses and lockouts that we forget that the games we become so obsessed with our merely that: games.We clamor for the big-name player, victories, championships and heroes. We at times consider selling all of our possessions just for the opportunity to gain access to a ticket to the big game.We put things like key games, playoffs, and sports rumors in front of what really matters: friends, family—our loved ones.Yesterday was one of those days that truly helps put the world into perspective, making us realize that there are scarier things in the world than losing a game. When we realize how trivial one game seems ...

In case you haven't noticed, the Mariners are actually on fire of late having won six in a row and 13 of their last 14 games at Safeco Field.  For a team that looked simply lost just a few weeks ago, this recent surge is a welcome change of pace that in some ways have made my modest goals from last week seem perhaps a bit short-sighted.Who knew that Felix Hernandez would actually throw a perfect game?I'll be the first to confess that I'm no soothsayer, but I also figure why not have a little fun with this and put together a list of what the fans would like to see from the Mariners before the end of this season.  So before Felix takes the mound again again, I put together a list of a few things I'd like to see in the final months... Begin Slideshow