This story was excerpted from Daniel Kramer's Mariners Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

SEATTLE -- Jerry Dipoto saw the Mariners’ high whiff rates through the first week of the season and had essentially the same take as everyone else, saying, “I wish we hadn’t struck out so much.” But the Mariners’ president of baseball operations also shared the sentiment that most did within the home clubhouse at T-Mobile Park.

“Our guys don’t feel like we’re at DEFCON 1,” Dipoto said. “They’re at the end of Week 1, and we had a slow week offensively.”

Dipoto didn’t have the full picture of the homestand during an interview on Wednesday, as his comments were one hour before the first pitch of the Mariners’ 8-0 loss to the Guardians, easily their worst loss so far.

But even so, it’s not like Dipoto -- or anyone in his position across MLB -- to sound an alarm just a few hours later.

Dipoto used a metaphor that manager Scott Servais later referenced postgame, comparing the six-month MLB calendar to the 17-game NFL season, and that the Mariners are essentially in the very early stages of a first would-be football game.

“Baseball is a long season, and I’m particularly happy with where a couple of the offensive guys are,” he said.

“We couldn't be happier with what we've watched from Ty France. I think his at-bats have been awesome. I think Josh Rojas has given us really good at-bats. I think, up and down the lineup, Mitch Haniger seems to have picked up right where he left off in Spring Training.

“And there are other guys who haven't gotten off to as good of a start. That's baseball. I tend to think, over time, it evens out because what they're swinging at gives them a chance.”

The Mariners entered Thursday’s off-day with 74 strikeouts, tied for second most in MLB, and an MLB-high 30.2% K rate after having the second worst last year (25.9%). Overall, they’re slashing .196/.261/.289 for a .550 OPS that ranks 30th among 30 clubs.

But Dipoto believes there are underlying signs of promise.

“In years past, when our offense has struggled, it looks like an offense that is struggling,” Dipoto said. “This year, our offense -- we’re swinging at the right pitches [and] we’re grinding through at-bats. This is the big leagues, and the other guys are good, too. I think our at-bat quality has been really good.”

A deeper dive illustrates Dipoto’s assertion.

Per Statcast, the Mariners’ 12.5% chase rate (swings on out-of-zone pitches) is tied for sixth-best in the league. Of their called strikes, 40.4% have been in the heart of the strike zone, compared to the edges or outside, the 12th lowest in MLB. And 11 of their 13 backward Ks have been on the edges or outside.

While called strikeouts aren’t pretty, the Mariners have emphasized the club’s two-strike approach, which varies by player and typically discourages swinging at borderline pitches -- even strikes -- that a given hitter can’t do damage with.

“They haven't come out of their approach,” Dipoto said. “They're not chasing. We have had a lot of edge pitches that are, frankly, really good pitches that you can't sit there and whine about. The opposing pitchers have made really good pitches.”

Additionally, a defining theme has also been Seattle’s struggles against spin. The Mariners have a .473 OPS against secondary pitches, the third lowest in MLB, and a .627 OPS against fastballs, which ranks 23rd.

“You don’t get a lot of fastballs to hit against those teams,” Dipoto said of Boston and Cleveland. “And when we did get fastballs to hit, for the most part, we did what you’re supposed to do with them.”

As for Seattle’s defense -- and again, Dipoto’s comments were ahead of Wednesday’s endless miscues -- he viewed the hiccups as an outlier. The Mariners ranked sixth in MLB in Outs Above Average last year but also traded key defenders Eugenio Suárez and Jarred Kelenic. Those positional voids at third base and corner outfield have been central to a few notable miscues.

“I think generally speaking, for years, we've done the small things to win baseball games and we don't beat ourselves ... I think we got a little bit sloppy,” Dipoto said.

It’s reasonable for Dipoto and the Mariners to suggest that it’s early. It’s also fair for fans who’ve been sold the promise of significant offensive improvements to have wanted to see a little more in the season-opening homestand and not reminders of their specific struggles last season.