It’s funny, you could easily make that same argument about every Yankees team ever, except for 1995.

The Mariners lost 3 of 4 to the Yankees over the long weekend in The Bronx, going exactly as well as I’d expected:

If we win one of these games, it’ll be a miracle.

– Some super genius

Although, credit to both teams: they did find some creative ways to get to the end result in these four games.

The last time we played the Yankees, it was about a month ago back in Seattle. We were riding high, having gone 5-0-1 in our previous six series, only to be swatted away pretty handily by the Yankees in 2 of 3 games, with Logan Gilbert’s career day preventing the sweep.

This time around, it’s post-Trade Deadline, it’s at the end of a 10-game road trip, and the Mariners are really starting to feel the pressure now of this wild card chase. At one point in recent weeks, the Mariners were ahead of the Yankees and Blue Jays for the second wild card spot. Now we’re 2.5-3 games behind them, needing to turn this ship around in a hurry.

This series could’ve gone so differently. It’s hard to see us go 1-3 – when all games are decided by 2 runs or less – and not immediately think about what might’ve been had Kendall Graveman still been here. He’s made four appearances for the Astros so far, and still hasn’t given up a run.

Anyway, Mitch Haniger and Kyle Seager spotted the Mariners to a 2-1 lead that was immediately ripped away in the bottom half of the fourth last Thursday. The score remained tied until the top of the seventh, when Jared Kelenic hit a solo home run just over the wall in right. That’s when we brought in the big guns: Paul Sewald, to face the heart of the Yankees’ order. He got the first two hitters out before Judge and Stanton singles started making trouble. That culminated in a wall-scraper of a home run by Joey Gallo. We tried to mount a comeback against Aroldis Chapman in the ninth, but it wasn’t to be (even though he found himself on the IL after the game, clearly suffering from some sort of injury or arm fatigue). Team RISP: 2/9.

Chock up Friday to another game blown by the bullpen. Again, the offense didn’t give us much leeway, but we DID hold a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the eighth. Marco Gonzales was a wizard out there, throwing 6.2 innings of scoreless ball. Joe Smith got the final out of the seventh, leading us to bring in Diego Castillo. He promptly walked two guys and hit a third to load the bases, for Judge to hit a sac fly to tie it. It could’ve been so much worse, but Stanton hit into a double play to end the threat. The game eventually went into extras. Both teams scored one in the tenth; only the Yankees scored in the eleventh. That’s how you get to a 3-2 ballgame. Team RISP: 2/8.

The Mariners had a 4-1 lead after two innings on Saturday; I think you can see what’s coming next. Chris Flexen pitched five outstanding innings in this one, just giving up an Aaron Judge homer in the first. However, he was allowed to start the sixth inning and promptly gave up a 2-run bomb to Rougned Odor without getting another out. Anthony Misiewicz and shoddy defense finished the job that very inning, giving up the go-ahead runs to the Yankees. The 5-4 score remained as is through the rest of the game. Team RISP: 1/7.

We were able to salvage a 2-0 victory on Sunday thanks to five scoreless innings by Kikuchi (the team seemingly learning its lessen from the Flexen debacle the night prior, not having him pitch into the sixth). Sewald was a man possessed, striking out 4 of 5 batters faced. And Drew Steckenrider got the 2-inning save! We didn’t score until the eighth, when a Seager double and Raleigh single brought home the game’s only runs. Team RISP: 2/8.

It’s hard to see the Yankees as anything but our kryptonite, given the way they’ve handled us this season. Especially this series, they shut us down in the two ways we were most effective: our bullpen, and our clutch hitting. In case you weren’t following along, the Mariners’ hitters were a whopping 7 for 32 with runners in scoring position, WELL below our season averages. On top of that, as you saw, the bullpen was responsible for all three losses.

Now, I don’t know if Graveman would’ve been able to stop the bleeding in EVERY game, or if he even would’ve been effective against this lineup, but it sure felt like we were destined to lose this series from the jump. Regardless, it’s not anyone’s fault in that bullpen for the way the offense went in the tank.

As was discussed up top, the Mariners have dug themselves quite a wild card hole. All hope isn’t lost, but the team better get hot in a hurry. Starting tomorrow, as the lowly Rangers come to town. Probably need to sweep that 3-game set. Then, we have our top three pitchers going against the Blue Jays (who won’t have the throngs of Canadians coming into our country – due to borders being closed – but I’m sure it’ll still be a solidly road team-favored crowd). That’s as good of an opportunity as we’ll get to face off against another of our wild card rivals. Picking up a game would be in order here, though sweeping this series would also be ideal. I’d love to see the Mariners get to 5-1 in this homestand in some way, shape, or form (ideally sweeping away the Blue Jays, if I had to pick one).

Then, we turn right back around to hit the road in Texas, with three against the Rangers and three against the Astros, before a quick 2-game jaunt down in Oakland. All of those will be vitally important.

Indeed, all the games the rest of the way are vitally important. We have 49 games left to go. We’re 59-54. Just to get to 90 wins, we’d have to go 31-18; that seems like the bare minimum to get one of the wild card spots, though I’d feel a lot safer if we got to 95 wins. That’s an absurd finish of 36-13. Possible, but not very probable.

Here’s why it COULD be possible, though. We have 6 games against the Rangers. We have 6 games against the Diamondbacks. We have 7 games against the Royals. We have 6 games against the Angels, who are injured beyond belief. That’s 25 games right there against teams we absolutely should beat. Then, there’s the three against the Blue Jays and Red Sox, and 9 more against the A’s; all wild card contenders. That brings our total games against teams we either should beat, or could beat, to 40. The remaining 9 games are against the Astros, who are always tough to beat, but it’s not like it’s impossible. We’re 4-6 in the season series so far. If we can go 5-4 against the Astros, that means we have to go 26-14 against everyone else to get to 90 wins (do-able), or 31-9 to get to 95 wins (extremely difficult, but again, not totally unheard of).

There’s always a team that gets hot around this time every year. Why couldn’t it be the Mariners this time around?