It’s the final week of the regular season, folks, and our Mariners have one last, desperate chance to throw some real chaos into the AL West race. Man, what a ride this season has been, right? Supremely disappointing, absolutely frustrating to watch our guys grind it out to a 73-83 record. It hasn’t been what we hoped for, not by a long shot, but these are the last M’s games we’ll see until next year. And with a looming labor lockout by the owners, who knows how long that hiatus could stretch? So let’s savor these last two.
Houston’s Offense Is In a Slump, But Don’t Count Them Out
But hey, there’s a crack in the armor, right? Our hated rivals, the Astros, just got absolutely swept by the Braves last weekend! Can you believe it? That knocked them right out of first place in the AL West, and now they’re trailing the Rangers by a game. Yeah, they hold the tiebreaker, but still, a sweep? You love to see it. Houston’s pitching staff has been hit hard by injuries and ineffectiveness all year, so it’s been their offense, especially Yordan Alvarez, carrying them through the summer. But even that’s failing them now. They’ve only scored more than four runs in a single game once in their last 10 outings. That’s a terrible time for a slump, wouldn’t you say?
Alvarez’s shot at the AL Triple Crown? It’s looking pretty slim. A nagging ankle injury has him second in both home runs and RBIs, trailing Pete Alonso by six RBIs. He’d need an absolutely monster week to even have a prayer. Jeremy Peña, though, he’s been swinging it well, with 10 hits and three homers last week, even with an 89 wRC+ in September. But the rest of that lineup? Woof. Jose Altuve (96 wRC+), Cam Smith (60), Daulton Varsho (42), and Christian Walker (17) are all mired in ugly September slumps. Overall, the Astros are 4th in AL batting, but 9th in fielding, and a pretty rough 14th in both starting pitching and bullpen FIP-. Our guys can do some damage here.
Our Mariners Have One Last Shot to Spoil the Party
So, here we are. It’s Tuesday, September 22nd. Our ace, Logan Gilbert, takes the mound for Game 1 at 6:40 pm against Cristian Javier. FanGraphs gives our M’s a 61.9% chance to win that one. Then on Wednesday, September 23rd, it’s George Kirby’s turn at 7:10 pm, going up against Ethan Pecko. We’ve got a 60.8% chance in that one too. Can our guys spoil the Astros’ division dreams and remind everyone that we’re still here, still fighting? Our M’s batting is 5th in the AL, right behind Houston. Our starting pitching (8th in FIP-) and bullpen (9th in FIP-) are both performing better than the Astros’ (14th in both). Our fielding, though, is 15th, so we need to be sharp.
These are the last games, fam. The last time we hear the crack of the bat or watch Logan and Kirby dominate until next year. Who knows what “next year” even means with the owner lockout looming? So let’s cheer loud, let’s bleed blue, and let’s watch our M’s try to throw some serious wrenches into Houston’s AL West hopes. Bring on the chaos!
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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