I'll let Mariners manager John McLaren's profanity-laced tirade explain how hard it is to cover a baseball team that was supposed to be decent, but is instead, really terrible.

"We're playing our ass off every day and got nothing to show for it. I'm tired of (expletive) losing, I'm tired of getting my ass beat, and so are those guys. We've got to change this (expletive) around and get after it. And only we can do it."

Thanks, John. Here's Seattle starter R.A. Dickey looks out toward left field as a double hit by Washington's Jesus Flores (running, left) resulted in two of the Nationals six runs in the second inning of Friday's loss. Dickey only lasted 1 2/3 innings.

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 170mm, ISO 1000, 1/800 sec.,f2.8)

Richie Sexson (feel free to start your office pool to guess the day he'll be released -- yours is probably the last office in Seattle without one) can't believe he struck out looking against the Nationals. I know that's shocking -- his 65 strikeouts lead the team.

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 120mm, ISO 1600, 1/800 sec.,f2.8)

"I'm tired of (expletive) losing (expletive) every night, and we bust our ass. It's got to be a total team (expletive) effort to turn this thing around, and that's it."

McLaren was probably swearing here...can you blame him?

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 1600, 1/640 sec.,f2.8)

"The fans are pissed off, and I'm pissed off, and the players are pissed off. And that's the way it is. There's no (expletive) easy way out of this. Can't feel sorry for ourself. Gotta (expletive) buckle it up and get after it.

The players didn't look pissed off. They just looked defeated after dropping the second game in a row to the Nationals, who entered the series with the second-worse record in baseball. Any guess as to who is the worst?

Catcher Jamie Burke hangs his head in the middle of the forlorn Mariners dugout.

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 160mm, ISO 1600, 1/640th sec.,f2.8)

Seattle reliever Sean Green stares on to the field at the end of the Mariners 4-2 loss to Washington. Green gave up a home run in the ninth inning. This guy pitches seemingly every night. I feel bad for him. His arm is going to fall off, I swear.

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 1600, 1/500th sec.,f2.8)

The fans? Yeah, okay, they're pissed off. In a kind, gentle, Seattle kind of way. Sure they booed Yuniesky Betancourt when he couldn't lay down a bunt in Sunday's loss to complete the sweep, but then one fan stood up and reminded the crowd the Betancourt had saved a run with a sweet fielding play the inning before. It kinda worked to calm the crowd, until one fat guy with a beer yelled, "THEY ALL SUCK!".

But this guy, even though he channeled the old New Orleans Saints fans with their "Aint's" paper bags over their heads, had to admit he still loved the Mariners even as they got swept by the lowly Nats.

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 80mm, ISO 200, 1/1250th sec, f2.8)

The end of Sundays loss looked the same as the others, with a frustrated Mariner sitting looking beaten in the dugout. Today it was Willie Bloomquist, who has been moved to a platoon in centerfield with his .224 batting average and exactly zero extra-base hits.

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 153mm, ISO 400, 1/320th sec., f2.8)