Man, that East Coast road trip for our Mariners felt like a total rollercoaster, right? Two straight wins against Boston, one of the AL’s better teams, barely registers when you think about the total dud our guys pulled in Toronto against an opponent way more significant to our playoff odds. But all that disappointment, mixed with those brief flashes of competence, brings us right back home to T-Mobile Park this weekend for what’s shaping up to be the softest and most important stretch of our entire season.
It’s Time To Feast on the A’s
We’re talking about a four-game set against the Athletics, who have been an absolute mess since late May. Remember when they were somehow leading the AL West back then? Yeah, we put an end to that nonsense real quick when we swept them in Sacramento and took their spot in the standings. Since that sweep, the A’s have just cratered, becoming the worst team in baseball by a mile. They’ve only won 32% of their games and have a shocking -169 run differential. All the progress they were supposedly making from last year and earlier this season? Totally undermined. This is our chance to absolutely run over a reeling team.
Our guys have the edge everywhere you look. Our batting (100 wRC+, 9th in AL) is better than theirs (95 wRC+, 12th in AL). Our starting pitching (98 FIP-, 8th in AL) blows theirs out of the water (119 FIP-, 14th in AL), and our bullpen (102 FIP-, 8th in AL) is stronger too (104 FIP-, 11th in AL). Even their fielding (-38 FRV, 14th in AL) is only slightly less awful than ours (-42 FRV, 15th in AL). FanGraphs gives us crazy good win probabilities for all four games, too: 66.5% for Game 1 with Kade Anderson, 67.2% for Game 2 with Logan Gilbert, a massive 70.5% for Game 3 with George Kirby, and 66.9% for Game 4 with Bryan Woo.
The A’s Are Gashed and Gutted
The biggest reason the A’s have fallen apart since June? Injuries, plain and simple. Their lineup has been completely gutted. Brent Rooker, Shea Langeliers, Nick Kurtz, Tyler Soderstrom, and Jacob Wilson, the very core they were trying to build around, have all gone down with season-ending injuries. We’re talking knees, thumbs, hips, shoulders. It’s a brutal list, and it leaves them with an offense that just can’t compete. This isn’t the same squad that was surprisingly leading the division back in May. This is a team ripe for the picking.
This is our moment, Seattle. This is where we make some serious noise. We just have to execute. Game 1 is Thursday at 6:40 pm. Kade Anderson is on the bump, and we need to come out swinging. Let’s show these A’s what Seattle baseball is all about, and kick off this critical stretch the right way!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Lookout Landing.
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