5-game losing streaks suck.... but this team is doing so much better than I honestly anticipated for the year, that I'm still on board. If they can be a legitimate .500 ballclub - that is to say, not a lucky winning team like the '07 M's, but a team that honest-to-goodness scored as many or more runs than their opponents, I'll be happy.
There's no reality, IMO, where this year's M's can be anything more than a team with some genuine strengths and some real serious flaws. The only way this offense was going to be 'good' would be if players like Smoak, Ackley, and Zunino hit to their potential - their offensive struggles leave a lot of holes in the lineup. That could have been masked if players like Hart and Morrison could contribute, but they too have failed to do so (thus far). Franklin getting jerked around probably doesn't help him, Miller has tanked (though picking it up a bit more recently), and you're left with very few major league caliber hitters on the roster or in the farm.
This has been covered by some surprisingly excellent pitching from everyone except the #5 starter, but even if they land a bat at the trade deadline, that still leaves the team with several offensive black holes in the lineup. A team like that can still hit a hot streak at the right time, get into the playoffs, and make some noise, but I'd be surprised if they transcend that.
