The Seattle Mariners are running out of time, but there is still hope as they try to make the playoffs in the final days of the regular season.
Playoff race: Where the Mariners stand after their Game 1 win against the Astros
After their victory over the Houston Astros on Monday night, the Mariners maintained their ambitions for the American League West title and moved closer to their chances of a wildcard spot.
Seattle entered Tuesday two games behind the Astros, who can clinch the division with a win over the M’s in either of the final two games of their three-game series, and 1 1/2 games behind the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers, who are battling for the second and third wild-card spots. The Minnesota Twins are also a half-game ahead of Seattle in the wild-card race.
It’s a tough battle for Seattle with just five games left in the season, but none of the opponents ahead of them can outrun them.
Why were the Mariners AL’s best offense this month? Passan speaks out
ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan explained why the Mariners are still very much alive when he joined Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Tuesday morning.
“Remember, when it looked like this team was absolutely dead, I thought, ‘Yeah, baseball teams aren’t very good this year,'” Passan said. “That’s what it comes down to. I put together this story that always runs right after the season ends, and it’s, ‘Why your team can win the World Series.’ And what I find over and over again is that in the midst of that positivity, I also have to suggest why your team can’t win the World Series, and in some cases, there are more reasons they can’t win the World Series than they can.”
Passan went into more detail about what was happening with the wildcard teams.
Just a month ago, the Royals (82-74) seemed well on their way to a playoff berth. On Aug. 27, they were tied with Cleveland for first place in the AL Central and were 17 games over .500, but then lost seven straight games. Kansas City is currently on another seven-game losing streak and is 7-16 in their last 23 games.
The Royals finish their season with three games in Washington and three in Atlanta. Kansas City has a road record of just 37-38.
MLB Table: Division | joker
The Tigers (82-74) are the polar opposite of Kansas City. They have been out of the playoffs for most of the season but have been in top form since August. Detroit has won six of its last seven games and is 13-6 in September.
The Tigers finish their season with three home games against Tampa Bay and three against the Chicago White Sox. They are in a good position, but the fact that a team that sold more than any other at the trade deadline is in this position speaks to how wide the race is.
“Detroit was clearly a mediocre team through the first three quarters of the season — not necessarily subpar, but just not very good,” Passan said. “(They) traded away Jack Flaherty, the best player that could go at the deadline, as well as Mark Canha, Andrew Chafin and Carson Kelly. Four guys are out, and here they are.”
The Twins (81-75) have been on a slump for over a month after hitting a season-high 17 games over .500 on Aug. 17. They are 11-22 in their last 33 games and have lost 11 of their last 16 games.
Minnesota ends the season with three home games against Miami and Baltimore.
“I don’t know what to say about the Twins,” Passan said. “The Twins are the most disappointing team of all for me because they have a real offense. And for them to collapse like that – I understand that they don’t have (starter) Joe Ryan right now – there’s no excuse for that at all.”
The deciding factor working against Seattle is the fact that it has no edge over any of the teams it is competing with for position in the wildcard race.
If the Mariners can find a way to beat the Astros, they’ll be two games in a row in the AL West with three games remaining. Seattle hosts Oakland at home for three games to end the season, while Houston plays three games at AL Central champion Cleveland. And the Mariners have the tiebreaker against the Astros.
“So here are the Mariners,” Passan said. “If they win, they’re not in control of their destiny, but given the way the other teams are playing, they have a good chance.”
Listen to Tuesday’s conversation with ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan on the podcast at the top of this post or at this link. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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