And so, as the Mariners got to the point in their schedule where they only have three teams left to play with records over .500, the team...began...to actually...hit.
Look, it's not a full renaissance, but you're seeing this team actually picking up offensive productivity thanks to the additions of Randy Arozarena, Justin Turner and Victor Robles. There was an embarrassing mid-August skid, but the M's seem to be on the other end of it now, and have matched up really well against the Rays. You're seeing production from Luke Raley, Julio Rodriguez, Jorge Polanco, obviously Cal Raleigh, and now Arozarena that's really making a difference at the moment.
But, the issue at hand here is that I don't know if it's going to be enough.
Simply put, the Astros are a better team right now, they have better luck, and they have a better lineup. The Mariners have them beat in one department, and that is pitching. Better relief pitching, better starting pitching. Bryan Woo, essentially the #5 man this year, has been extraordinary. In 16 games he's 6-2 with a 2.05 ERA and a 0.810 WHIP. If he'd started the year with that he'd be getting Cy Young eyes on him. Now he's just part of the crew, one of many killing it. Bryce Miller struck out 10 yesterday, he's getting his groove back. Logan Gilbert's still killing it. Castillo and Kirby still have had strong starts this year. The rotation combined has an 11.8 WAR. Comparatively, the Astros' rotation has a 9.5 WAR.
And if the Mariners were gonna get hot at any time, it would be right now. The Astros are playing a team better than them right now, those Fightin' Phils, and it's not going great for them. The Phillies lit up Justin Verlander last night, something that, if anything, proves they're not dying out yet. But after this, the Astros have to play the Royals, the Reds and the Diamondbacks, three teams that aren't exactly laying down and dying. While the Mariners get to play the Angels, A's and Cardinals. They are 3.5 games behind the Astros for the division, 5.5 games behind the last wild card spot., and they're rolling.
This is doable. It can work. It can happen. The Mariners just need to keep hitting. They've made some headway, Julio's playing like himself again, multiple people are showing up. They've gotta stay at it. The season depends on it, and my probability of enjoying this postseason depends on it. Because it's unlikely that both the Astros and the Mariners make the playoffs this year. There will only be room for one, and the Astros aren't gonna make it easy.
It would be amazing if this happened. I'd absolutely love it. So let's see what these guys can do.
Coming Tomorrow- The sophomore slump is a thing. That is, til he gets going.
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