The Mariners Could Clinch the AL West Against the Rockies on Wednesday Night
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The Seattle Mariners (88-69), winners of 15 of their last 16 games, will continue their march to October when they host the Colorado Rockies (43-114) at T-Mobile Park on Wednesday night. Seattle holds the tie-breaker in the AL West against second-place Houston. So, with either a victory or an Astros loss against Oakland, the M's will capture their first division flag since 2001.
Luis Castillo will make his 32nd start of the season for the Mariners. The righthander is 10-8 on the year, with a 3.63 ERA and 152 strikeouts. On the flipside of the ledger, Colorado starter Tanner Gordon has a record of 6-7, with a 6.00 ERA.
Castillo has a lifetime 2-3 record with an ERA of 5.72 and 35 strikeouts in five appearances against the Rockies. Meanwhile, the 26-year-old Gordon will be making his first appearance of his career versus the Mariners.
The Mariners are Eyeing the Number-Two Seed in the AL
As the season winds down, the Mariners know they are headed to the postseason, which is a relief. Even at their highest moments during their 15-1 streak, they've always reminded themselves, each other, and everyone else that they have their eyes on the ultimate prize.
"We talked about this in Spring Training," manager Dan Wilson told his team as they celebrated clinching a playoff spot on Tuesday night. "It's the journey up the mountain. We're now one of those teams that earns the privilege to finish the course, all the way to the top, bus. And it starts tomorrow.."
With that, the skipper yelled out, "Let's go!" and sprayed his players with a shaken-up champagne bottle. And while Wilson and his players certainly enjoyed the evening, they still have one important task ahead.
The team currently holds the number two spot in the American League Playoffs, which would ensure them a bye into the Divisional Series, as well as home-field advantage. That would be a serious boost for the Mariners, who, according to the website FanGraphs, are now considered the favorite to win the World Series. If that prediction holds up, it would be the first title in the franchise's 49-year history.
Updated AL West Standings
Seattle Mariners, 88-69 (first place)
Houston Astros, 84-73 (4 games out | Seattle owns the tie-breaker)
Texas Rangers, 79-78 (9 games out | ELIMINATED)
Seattle Mariners remaining schedule (6 games):
Sept. 24-25, vs. Colorado; Sept. 26-28, vs. Los Angeles Dodgers.
