SEATTLE — It was just 10 days ago that the Mariners had more than a 90% probability of qualifying for the Major League Baseball (MLB) playoffs, per Baseball-Reference projections.
Seattle was a game ahead of the Houston Astros in the American League (AL) West and looked unstoppable as the final full month of the MLB regular season began.
After losing seven of the last nine games the Mariners have tumbled from first to third in the division race, and sit behind three teams in the AL Wild Card standings. Over that span, the team's Baseball-Reference postseason odds have decreased by over 20%.
Now, 58% is still a notable projection, as it means more than half of Baseball-Reference's simulations see the M's finding a way into the playoffs. However, the Mariners would be watching from home if the season ended Monday night, so the team has a lot of work to do to climb back in the standings.
That work begins Tuesday night when the Mariners will face off against pitcher Patrick Sandoval and the Los Angeles Angels. The Mariners knocked Sandoval around in their last game against him in June, tallying 10 hits and scoring five runs against the southpaw.
The Mariners will be fighting for their spot right down to the final day of the regular season (Oct. 1) as the team's final 10 games will be against either the Texas Rangers or the Astros. The two Texas clubs have been jockeying with the Mariners in the division standings for weeks. Seattle will likely have to win a majority of those to overcome its division rivals the wild card or division standings.
Just 18 games remain on the schedule for the Mariners, so each and every one of them will have a playoff atmosphere from here on out.