The Mariners had little hope of avoiding yet another losing season. But how fitting, in a game they should have won, that their 82nd loss of the season came on a passed ball by Mike Zunino in the 10th inning?

The Mariners let another win pass them by.

The error ensured a fourth straight losing season for the underperforming Seattle nine.  That’s the longest stretch of losing seasons for the Mariners since their first 14 seasons, ending in 1991 when they eked out a .512 winning percentage. It also marked their fifth straight loss, including getting swept by the Majors’ worst team, Houston.

I cheer again the inclusion of the Astros in the AL West, without whom the Mariners would very likely end up again in the division cellar.

Brandon Maurer registered an 81 ERA at home after serving up volleyballs to the Houston Astros last night. That lowered his overall ERA to 16.20 and record to 0-2. Those aren’t good numbers. Oh, and the Mariners got spanked 16-9 by the worst team in baseball this season and one of the worst of all time.  Sure, you’re gonna lose a game here and there, but sheesh.

Fortunately, Maurer got a good talking to by pitchers Felix Hernandez and Kameron Loe. “I heard a story about Randy Johnson giving up a few in an inning,” Maurer told the Seattle Times. “That always makes me feel a little better, I guess. It happens.” Maybe Maurer should pick better mentors. Loe got tagged himself for six hits and five runs including three long balls in less than three innings.

But at least the team still enjoys fan support. Fully 10,745 packed into Safeco for the second home game of the season. Wait, that’s not very many people. In fact, that’s the worst attendance in Safeco’s history. Dear god.

Is Raul Ibanez the answer? General Manager Jack Zduriencik thinks so.  Ibanez will get his third go with the Mariners in 2013 and ComingUpSmall is pretty sure it’s not a home run.  The man will turn 41 as a Mariner next year and at .240 last year he was not a sure thing in the batting order. But he’s got some power and could launch a few over Safeco’s new more hitter-friendly confines.

Zduriencik has been doing some interesting things this offseason, including trading away one of the Mariners’ most consistent pitchers of 2012 — Jason Vargas — for some oomph in the lineup by way of Kendrys Morales.  Of course, Morales is a first baseman just like perpetual future-superstar Justin Smoak.  That could set up some intrigue in spring training this year.

With these moves in place, C.U.S. predicts the Mariners will not finish last in the AL West. Thank you, Houston Astros.

Never underestimate the inexplicable allure to Mariners management of signing an athlete with local roots.  How else to explain their signing of Jason Bay, who spends the offseason in the Seattle area and went to Gonzaga in eastern Washington State?

Bay has not been impressive as a Met. His batting average dropped in every year since his first with the New York team, when he managed just .259 and 6 home runs. He was also injury-prone: sustaining concussions and rib injuries.

To be fair, at $1 million for a year with the Mariners, with only $500,000 in guaranteed money, it appears the deal is not overly expensive and could be a bargain if the 34-year-old can turn things around.

And the Mariners are still wooing Josh Hamilton to Washington State [insert marijuana joke here]. Would be nice for once to have a household name on the field that’s not playing for the other team.

Mariners fans had precious little to cheer these past few years, save for King Felix’s perfect game and these snazzy throwback unis:

The team finished last in the AL West for the third straight year in 2012 and seventh time since 2004. But there’s good news on the horizon…the NL Central doormat Houston Astros are joining the division next year. With a meager .340 winning percentage, they were the worst team in all of baseball this year, for the second time in as many years.

One more candidate for the AL West cellar sounds like good news to me.