Seattle Mariners Suddenly Have Another Path to the Playoffs
The Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers on Saturday night 8-4 to move to 80-75 on the season. Despite the win, the Mariners weren't able to make up any ground in the American League West race, and they remain 5.0 games behind the Houston Astros with seven games to play.
However, they did pick up a 0.5 game in the wild card race thanks to the Minnesota Twins being rained out. Seattle is 1.5 games behind the Twins for the third and final spot, and remains 1.0 games behind the Tigers as well. In addition, it should be noted that the Kansas City Royals are now in a free-fall, having lost six straight games and seven of 10.
The Mariners still face an uphill climb to make the playoffs but having the Royals struggle provides another avenue of hope for Seattle. Unfortunately, the Mariners don't have the tiebreaker over any of these teams, so they'll have to finish ahead of them and cannot finish in a tie.
Here's what you need to know entering play on Sunday.
Team | Record | GB | Remaining Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
KC Royals | 82-73 | -- | SF, @WAS, @ATL |
Minnesota Twins | 81-73 | -- | @BOS, vs. MIA, vs. BAL |
Detroit Tigers | 81-74 | 0.5 | @BAL, vs. TBR, vs. CWS |
Seattle Mariners | 80-75 | 1.5 (2.0 behind KC) | @TX, @HOU, vs. OAK |
The Mariners obviously have the toughest road to climb, given that they are further back and don't have tiebreakers. They also have to play the Astros, who are playing to win a division title while the other teams get to play the White Sox, Marlins and Nationals collectively.
All the Mariners can do at this point is keep playing well and let the chips fall where they may. Seattle takes on the Rangers again on Sunday at 11:35 a.m. PT.
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