The Seattle Mariners have stormed into the playoff dialog, climbing the AL West standings on the again of elite pitching, well timed hitting, and key roster upgrades. Their current kind has impressed ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan, who believes Seattle could possibly be a nightmare opponent this October.
Passan took to X, previously often known as Twitter, shortly after Seattle’s newest win, making it clear he sees them as respectable contenders.
“The Seattle Mariners have gained eight straight video games and are 10-1 for the reason that commerce deadline. If Houston loses tonight, the Mariners will likely be tied for first within the AL West. Their lineup is nice, their rotation nasty, the again of their bullpen dominant. They’re a scary October workforce.”
Seattle’s profitable streak reached eight video games with a walk-off victory over the Rays earlier this week, and so they’ve gone 10-1 for the reason that membership’s last-minute acquisitions of Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor. That surge has pushed them inside a recreation of the Astros within the AL West race whereas strengthening their maintain on a Wild Card spot.
The turnaround has been dramatic. As soon as 10 video games behind Houston in mid-June, the Mariners now boast the AL’s lowest workforce ERA (3.45) and have outscored opponents 142-85 for the reason that finish of July. Catcher Cal Raleigh leads MLB in house runs with 45, Julio Rodriguez has an elite mixture of energy and pace in middle discipline, and Josh Naylor has posted a .286 batting common with 16 hits, 4 house runs, eight RBIs, and 10 runs scored by simply his first 16 video games since being dealt to the workforce by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
On the pitching aspect, Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, and George Kirby anchor a rotation that has shut down opposing lineups, whereas nearer Andres Munoz (1.34 ERA) headlines a bullpen that ranks tenth within the league in ERA. This stability between offense and pitching is fueling their rise and maintaining the Mariners firmly within the thick of the AL West race.
The upcoming schedule units the stage for a dramatic September, that includes 13 video games in opposition to the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers. With the simplest remaining opponent profitable share (.480) within the AL, Seattle has an actual shot at claiming its first division title since 2001.
The Mariners capped their newest assertion win with a 1-0 shutout of the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday, bettering to 67-53 on the season. For a franchise nonetheless searching for its first World Collection look regardless of having an array of expertise in its historical past, together with Ken Griffey Jr. and Ichiro Suzuki, the approaching weeks may show to be essentially the most pivotal stretch but. If the present trajectory holds, Passan’s “scary October workforce” label may show prophetic.