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Mariners' Cano: Stomach ailment, grandfather's death have weighed on me

Gary A. Vasquez / USA TODAY Sports

Towards the end of last summer, as the Seattle Mariners fought valiantly to snap a 13-year playoff drought, the performance of newly signed second baseman Robinson Cano tailed off a bit after he began experiencing stomach discomfort in August.

Shortly after the regular season ended, the Mariners falling one win shy of a wild-card berth, Cano was diagnosed with a common parasite requiring a course of antibiotics. Though the bug was eventually eradicated, Cano was left with acid reflux that has continued to plague him through the first half of 2015, easily the worst season of his 11-year career.

"It still affects me,'' Cano said to Jorge Ortiz of USA Today Sports. "Sometimes you drink water and it makes you feel like vomiting. I can't eat the same way I did. It's hard to deal with, especially being the first time this has happened to me. Sometimes I eat only once a day before playing, because I feel full. And you just don't have the same energy.''

Despite changing his diet and taking medication, Cano hasn't at all resembled the player who landed a 10-year, $240-million contract two winters ago. A six-time All-Star, Cano has produced career-lows in virtually every significant offensive statistic this season, shouldering much of the blame for the Mariners' dismal 38-44 start.

Season G wRC+ BB% K% ISO WAR
2012 161 149 8.8 % 13.8 % 0.238 7.6
2013 160 142 9.5 % 12.5 % 0.202 5.7
2014 157 136 9.2 % 10.2 % 0.139 5.1
2015 79 83 5.1 % 17.6 % 0.115 0.4

"Sometimes I play without any strength or energy, but you have to play, give the best of yourself,'' Cano said. "Some people may say, 'Cano, he's listless.' But (the energy) is not the same.''

An unsettled stomach, however, isn't the only issue Cano has lugged onto the field this season. The 32-year-old lost a longstanding pillar of emotional support when his paternal grandfather, Ovidio, died of lung cancer last March.

"He was my No. 1 fan,'' Cano said. "If he were alive now, he would call me and say, 'Hey, what's going on? Last year you had better numbers. What's happening? Are you OK?'''

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