AL West Round-Up: Scorching Seattle Mariners Take Division Lead, But Will It Last?

Welcome to the round-up, where each week Inside The Rangers will take you inside the AL West race.

Apr 27, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; The Seattle Mariners celebrate defeating the Arizona / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Who are the 2024 Seattle Mariners?

Better yet, what version of Seattle will take the field most nights this summer? Will it be the one hitting into double-plays to kill momentum late in games? Will it be the team of old who allowed five-plus runs to start outings and lose by one following a comeback?

Or is the latest trend of pristine pitching and timely hits here to last? Seattle secured first place in the American League West standings for the first time this season after taking two of three against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Mariners have won seven of 10 and have a run differential of +10. Logan Gilbert took the loss in Sunday's finale, but he lasted seven frames and recorded seven more strikeouts to extend his AL lead to 44.

Teammate Luis Castillo is two strikeouts behind him and is coming off back-to-back quality starts. George Kirby memorized fans on Saturday as he fanned 12 in a 3-1 win.

Talent has never been a problem for Seattle. Streaks, however, carry most of the heavy burden.

The Mariners can go nuclear with an offense headlined by AL MVP candidate Julio Rodriguez. Few rosters present a trio of starting pitchers who can carry games into the seventh, thus saving the bullpen.

But it comes and goes like the tide each evening off the coast. The highs are promising and dangerous while the lows have fans gasping for air.

Seattle ranks near the top of annual salary. The Mariners were expected to compete this season, especially after being in the thick of the postseason hunt late last September.

Seattle enters its three-game series against the Braves with the third-lowest ERA (3.10), a league-leading 1.05 WHIP, and a .211 opponent batting average.

Apr 27, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby (68) / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Who knew that allowing 13 runs in six games would be a recipe for winning in an offensive-driven league these days?

But there's the keyword; offense. For as promising as the pitching has been, Seattle's bats are stale. No one is hitting over .300 and only one Rodriguez has an OBP over .320

Texas will eventually pick up steam. So will Houston, albeit the obituaries of the dynasty's run have already been written. Even Oakland's hot streak might be sustainable leading up to Memorial Day.

Mariners fans have hope this year will be different, but much like a car running on fumes, all the parts have to be in motion.

So far, the steering continues to be nice and steady.

The engine — or offense — needs a tune-up before it implodes.

What else happened around the AL West last week? Let's get you caught up.

LANGFORD LOGS A LONG BALL...KINDA

Everyone remembers their first big-league homer. Even fans get a sense of jubilation watching the rookie stomp his cleat at home plate as a message to the league that he's arrived.

Wyatt Langford didn't have time to deliver a Leonidas-type statement as he was rounding third and sprinting those extra 90 feet. Sometimes the little details set up the big moments.

Langford picked up his first homer of the season in the Rangers' 4-3 win over the Reds Sunday afternoon with a little league inside-the-park blast.

"It was just a matter of getting that first one, I guess," Langford said postgame. "And I got it. I got it in a weird way, but I got it."

Apr 28, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers designated hitter Wyatt Langford (36) slides / Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

Baseball is like life; filled with twists, turns and surprises that sometimes bode well in your favor. That was the case on Sunday in Langford's first at-bat, who sent a four-seam fastball to right-center field at 101.4 mph.

Initially, the ball seemed like it was headed out, but it ricocheted off the warning track and bounced over right By the time Jake Fraley made contact, Langford already had the green light to make to the turn at third.

Langford became the fifth player in team history, to hit an inside-the-park home run for his first career Major League home run. At 22 and less than a year removed from college, Langford is a kid still learning how to play in the pros.

Naturally, the kid wanted to recreate the first homer he ever hit. 

ADIOS HOUSTON, DE LOS ASTROS

Even though fans would miss Friday night fireworks, the sounds of the locomotive leaving Union Station and shenanigans with Orbit in the crowd between at-bats, Astros fans might be willing to sign a petition to keep the reigning division winners at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú past Sunday.

Seriously, Houston, you have a problem. Well, at least you do on American soil since all it took was a weekend trip down to Mexico City to regain your mojo.

The Astros secured the two-game series sweep over Colorado as part of the MLB's Mexico City Series, but it’s not the fact they won a series for the second time this month. It’s how. 

Twenty runs, 21 hits, six homers, and 25 strikeouts. Those are the numbers you have to know when talking about Houston's hammering of the Rockies. Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker each went yard twice. Ronel Blanco looks like a Cy Young candidate and Framber Valdez's return was just what the doctor ordered.

Apr 28, 2024; Mexico City, Mexico; Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (3) celebrates with center / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Houston's offense has been sinking, but it'll heat up like the temperature come this summer. Pitching, however, is all based on health. Justin Verlander returned last week after starting the season in the IL. Valdez was shut down on April 2 and didn't even hit Triple-A for a rehab start.

Four starters carry an ERA over 7.25 with at least two starts. Nobody is winning much with those numbers, but there lies the concern of young pitching having to step in dire situations.

With the elevation reaching 7,350 feet, maybe the Astros could firmly plant themselves south of Houston until the bats come back to life.

Well that, or until Jose Urquidy and Christian Javier come off the IL to finalize the rotation.

LAST LITTLE MOMENTS FOR As

For an owner openly rooting for his team to set record-setting low attendances to justify a move to Las Vegas, John Fisher's club is pulling a mutiny on him early in the year.

Oakland is five games under .500. Being sub-par was expected for a roster openly tanking in its final year at the Coliseum. 

What wasn't expected was a third-place ranking entering May. Seriously, how bad is Houston's pitching?

How pathetic is Los Angeles altogether outside of Mike Trout's loyalty to a team that doesn't deserve him?

The A's aren't beating fellow bottom-dwellers like Miami and the White Sox. They just secured a series win over the Baltimore Orioles with late-inning heroics.

Apr 28, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher Kyle McCann (52) reacts after / James A. Pittman-USA TODAY Sports

Abraham Toro tied the game at 2 in the ninth with an RBI double before Brent Rooker sealed the win with extra-bases in extras. Two days later, Craig Kimbrel watched as his 95 mph four-seam became a souvenir in right-center thanks to a two-run blast from Kyle McCann.

This is Baltimore, the American League's hottest team headlined by a bunch of kids that might pave the way for baseball's next dynasty. Kimbrel is in the final stage of his career, but it's Oakland. McCann isn't even a full-time starter.

Who knows if Mark Kotsay can turn into Lou Brown and shove one to Fisher before it's a fond farewell in Oakland, but the A's are preforming better than expected. They look more polished than a 12-win roster.

Holy Halos!

Oakland likely comes back to reality and the hell of Houston at some point has to cease. There's nothing to say about Los Angeles at this point.

The Halos are 1-9 over their last 10 games. They’re losers of four straight. Anthony Rendon, who had 34 home runs in his final year with the Nationals, has 22 long balls in five seasons and is back on the IL for a stretch with a hamstring tear

Los Angeles ranks 30th in team ERA, 21st in strikeouts per nine, 25th in WHIP and 28th in runs scored. The offense is slightly better, though remove Trout from the line watch the numbers tumble like it's Oct. 24, 1929.

Apr 24, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell (7) walks out from / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

Former Rangers manager Ron Washington is 72. He didn't sign up to take over a team that's gotten worse despite being healthy. What makes Los Angeles' losing ways even worse is Trout's resurgence at the plate with the long ball.

Trout's 10 homers lead the league. Can anyone guess how many homers Los Angeles has a roster outside of the MVP candidate? I'll save you the trouble: 17. Thirty-eight percent of hits and homers have come off one person's bat.

Next up for the Angels is a three-game set with the Phillies, who lead all MLB pitching staffs in strikeouts.

Surely this doesn't end poorly, right?