THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: M's need to scrub this mess before it's too late

Somehow, the Mariners have not sailed away with first place in the AL West.

I say, "somehow," because there is an obvious talent gap between Seattle and the rest of the mob.

And yet ...

The Mariners keep piling up mistakes, and the most frustrating thing is that so many of them are mental goofs.

Pitchers baffle them with obvious changes of speed and direction, leaving the M's dead last in batting average with runners in scoring position.

If you're facing the Mariners in a critical spot and show them two or three high fastballs, they WILL strike out on a breaking pitch in the dirt.

It's frustrating, because if we can sit up in the sky (or in front of a TV) and know what's coming, how can it escape a professional ballplayer?

Meanwhile, teams grab an embarrassing advantage on the bases, which is easy work because the Mariners are dead last (yes, again!) in pretty much all defensive statistics.

To be fair, some of these blunders are physical.

For instance, Randy Arozarena is not a good outfielder, and over a full season he's going to cost you games.

The Seattle infield is average (to be kind), and with J.P. Crawford playing emergency third base, the grade is lower than that.

On the other hand ...

Outfielders routinely make wild throws, allowing runners to advance — and for heaven's sake, you learn to hit a cut-off man in youth leagues.

That mental side of it leaves you steaming.

A LOSS last Sunday was the kind of thing that leaves you gasping.

That was the game Seattle blew 6-5 despite leading 4-1 in the eighth inning.

Dan Wilson made a spectacular blunder (of course he did), using Eduard Bazardo to get ONE out in the sixth inning — this in a game where Wilson knew he only had three leverage relievers with four innings to cover.

Guh!

Mike Rucker and Josh Simpson, neither of whom are legit major leaguers, predictably blew up to give the Guardians five runs in the eighth.

Wilson simply has no idea what he's doing, and it's shocking that there's nobody around to help him.

Believe it or not, Wilson's latest gaffe isn't the mental explosion that I have in mind.

There are TWO more examples of brain sleeping that, well, cost the Mariners a game.

Let's start with backup catcher Mitch Garver, who is filling in for Cal Raleigh while the MVP finishes rehab from his injury.

And no, I'm not thinking of Mitch dropping that throw to the plate — a play that should have been a routine out.

The Mariners' pitching and defensive boo-boos wouldn't even have come up for discussion if Garver had his head on straight.

Back in the sixth inning, the Guardians made some noises as though they might cut into the M's 4-1 lead.

We came to a two-out situation, pinch-hitter at bat, count 3-2.

Bazardo threw a pitch meant to be on the outside corner, but he botched it and the ball sailed down and in.

Ball four.

BUT WAIT!

That pitch, off target as it was, actually looked like it might have nicked the corner.

The difference between a walk and a strikeout here could have been huge, so why didn't Garner tap his helmet for a challenge?

There was nothing to lose.

It turned out the pitch WAS a strike, which would have changed the entire inning — and maybe given Wilson a chance to use Bazardo for another inning.

Sigh.

The final mind-loss came in the ninth inning, after Cleveland was up 6-4.

The M's looked like they were just disgusted and going through the motions — but with a couple of walks, they managed to put a couple of runners on base.

It came down to two out and a simple ground ball to second baseman Travis Bazzana.

Then, a miracle from nowhere,

Bazzardo booted the ball and then threw it away — far away.

One run scored easily, and then we got to the big, big mistake.

Rookie Colt Emerson had been on second base, and he started jogging — not running full out — on what looked like a routine ground ball for the final out.

When Bazzardo's throw somehow sailed past first base, Emerson could have scored.

No, he SHOULD have scored, tying it 6-6.

Instead, he was stuck on third.

Mariners lose.

If they keep making bonehead plays, losing will be a habit.

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Steve Cameron has written for publications in the U.S. and Europe, including the Denver Post and the Kansas City —- and been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.

Steve's "Cheap Seats" column appears in The Press three times each week.