Did Houston Astros' Division Rival Speak Too Soon?

The Houston Astros are making Cal Raleigh eat his words.

Aug 16, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh looks to the dugout. / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

A lot has changed this summer, especially in the AL West standings.

On June 28, the second-place Houston Astros got crushed by the New York Mets 7-2. The loss snapped their seven-game winning streak, dropping them to 40-41 and 5.5 games out of first place.

Meanwhile, the first-place Seattle Mariners pulled out a 3-2 walk-off win over the Minnesota Twins in 10 innings, improving to 10 games over .500. Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh delivered the game-winning hit, grounding into a fielder's choice that scored J.P. Crawford.

During his postgame interview, Raleigh unleashed some trash talk that he probably wishes he could take back, saying "always good when the Astros lose."

The Mariners are 16-23 since Raleigh said "always good when the Astros lose"

They were leading the division by 5.5 games that day.

They are now are 4 games back.

I guess... It's always good when the Mariners lose, right? https://t.co/7mnjsuTLca

— Michael Schwab (@michaelschwab13) August 18, 2024

Unfortunately for Raleigh and his teammates, that phrase has aged like a glass of milk on a summer day.

Since then, Houston has lapped Seattle in the standings. The Astros have been one of the hottest teams in baseball, going 27-15 since Raleigh's infamous quote. They are now 11 games over .500 for the first time this year after taking two of three from the Chicago White Sox over the weekend.

Meanwhile, the Mariners have gone into a tailspin. Their lack of offensive production has caught up to them, causing them to go 17-23 since Raleigh's quote. They've lost 9.5 games in the standings in roughly seven weeks and now trail Houston by four games in the standings.

Ouch.

At this point, Raleigh and his teammates should know better than to give the Astros bulletin board material. They should also know not to light a spark under Houston when the season is only half-over.

Barring an unexpected late-season collapse, the Astros appear poised to win their fourth straight AL West title and seventh division crown in eight years. Houston is still as inevitable as ever, which Raleigh & Co. are learning the hard way.