I'm kind of liking this late night blogging thing. It allows a few hours for what I just saw earlier in the evening to marinate in my mind a little.

First things first, yes, I heard about the Wladimir Balentien injury tonight. And yes it doesn't sound good. From what I've gathered, he had to be carried off the field after trying to make a sliding catch and colliding with a piece of concrete at Cheney Field. One source says it serious, another says it didn't look anything twisted. It happened in the sixth inning of last night's game in Tacoma.

Let's get to the game tonight ...
As of right now, the Mariners are flawed offensively. There is something wrong when I'm that excited about Greg Norton in the starting lineup. And that's not a knock on Norton, but on what I feel are certain offensive issues that even the most novice fan can see. Norton is a good hitter, and I think he should see more time.

But right now Jose Vidro and Brad Wilkerson are not helping the cause. Vidro is hitting .220 with just three extra base hits, while Wilkerson is hitting .150 in 13 games. They are both good guys, that work hard and are great teammates. But at some point production has to win out. I realize we're still less than 20 games in, but they or the Mariners can't afford this lack of production.

Maybe the lack of offense is just glaring today, since the Angels are leading the AL, hitting .294 as a team. The Mariners are 7th at .260. Seattle's OPS is also just .733 with is just 10th best, the Angels have an .802 OPS which is second in the AL.

About the time I feel like this team could be good, they go out and prove me wrong. But that being said. We aren't even in May yet, so I might need to drop my doom and gloom thinking.

Think about this, where would the M's be without Carlos Silva?

The Angels are better than I thought. Torii Hunter might not be the power hitter everyone thought they needed, but he brings a swagger and some more speed to an already fast team.

WHere does it all leave me? Regretting a few of my postseason picks right now. And desperately hoping the team a I saw extended glimpses of in the spring and at times this season, can find itself.