THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Closer to chaos as the sprint begins

There are a couple of things we need to discuss.

The topic is the Mariners, and if the avalanche of mail (and phone calls) I’m seeing and hearing is a fair look at what fans are thinking, well …

We’re getting close to chaos.

I’m going to keep this column relatively short today, because I don’t want to babble endlessly on the same subject.

That doesn’t mean we should ignore this bizarre baseball team.

There are plenty of things going on, as we can tell from the mountains of correspondence that have been floating around.

When it’s all sorted out, though, there really are two issues that need to be addressed if we’re going to get some clues about the Mariners.

FIRST: There are so many injuries, sore this and aching that, that the squad swept by Kansas City at T-Mobile Park over the weekend was barely recognizable.

M’s boss Jerry Dipoto has been shuttling players to Tacoma and back so quickly that it’s almost impossible to keep track of the roster.

Remember the team that faced off against Cleveland on opening day?

OK, here are the players who are still in the same positions, who haven’t been hurt for a week or two, who haven’t needed to rehab in the minor leagues, who aren’t on the IL right now.

We’ll get to pitchers in a sec, but for now, here are your position players who have been healthy and shown up for work every day: Cole Young (second base), Randy Arozarena (left field), Dom Canzone (DH).

That’s it.

As for the pitchers, Everett Hancock started out as the No. 6 starter and now he’s an ace; George Kirby has become SP1.

Looking at the bullpen: Andres Munoz has had a couple of nightmare outings, but he’s still the closer.

Dynamite Matt Brash, who hasn’t given up a run in 12 appearances, is now on the IL with a strain in his side — and nobody knows when he might be back.

Now then …

Remember that I mentioned there were two issues involved here.

The M’s are beat up.

Yep.

But what about that other item?

SECOND: Baseball seasons are longer than the Bataan Death March.

You can be circling the drain for a month.

Two months.

And STILL own the game when it’s all over.

Surely, you’ve heard about the Washington Nationals, who started the 2019 season by gurgling their way to 14 games under .500.

Fans gave up.

That was a bad idea, since the Nats roared back — all the way back — to win the World Series.

Trust me.

There is a hell of a lot of time in a baseball marathon. Teams fall to pieces when there’s no reason for it.

On the other side of things, hopeless teams just explode when nobody sees it coming.

Or.

In the case of a team like the Mariners, bona fide talent finally comes to the surface.

Pitchers get enough rest that they’re sharp again.

Best of all, momentum ripples through the clubhouse and the dugout.

What a strange animal, baseball.

If there’s one thing we know about this crazy game, it would be not to go leaping to conclusions.

Anything can happen.

Even to the Mariners.

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Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week, normally Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”