Mariners keep playoff dreams alive with crucial Astros series win

The Mariners held on to take the rubber match in Houston and closed the gap in the AL West, on a night when Bryan Woo excelled again.

Do you believe in a team which is seven games under .500 and sits in third place in their division? A team which has a history of frustration and heartbreak that arguably exceeds any other current Major League franchise? We are of course talking about the Mariners, and whether you do believe in them or not, there’s still a legitimate shot they can make the playoffs, despite a year which has been a constant struggle filled with injuries, underachievement and disappointment.

Don’t just take our word for it though. Sure, as of Monday morning the Mariners have a 59-66 record which is just 12th-best in the American League. However, take a look at FanGraphs‘ updated odds and they give the M’s the fifth-best odds to make the playoffs. We appreciate 35.7 percent isn’t exactly inspiring, but with six playoff spots available, we’ll take those odds.

Certainly, it helps that the Mariners were able to take the series in Houston against the AL West-leading Astros over the weekend. Yes, you can lament the fact the M’s were one catastrophic Andrés Muñoz blown save away from a sweep which would have closed the gap to 2.0 games rather than 4.0. At the same time however, taking two games out of three sure as heck beats losing the series or, even worse, being swept and falling 8.0 games behind their biggest divisional rivals.

A much-needed reminder of what Cal Raleigh is still capable of

In the first two games versus the Astros, the Mariners’ bats finally came alive as they compiled 27 hits, which doubled as the most combined in two consecutive games this season. The result was 17 runs, to highlight just what the M’s lineup is capable of when they’re collectively playing closer to their talent level. It was a different story on Sunday night in the rubber match, but at the end of the day they did just enough, producing eight hits and escaping Houston with a 3-2 win.

Randy Arozarena opened the scoring with a solo blast in the top of the first, while Dominic Canzone hit a key two-out RBI single in the top of the third to double the Mariners’ early advantage to 2-0. However, arguably the best offensive highlight of the night for the visitors was Cal Raleigh’s own solo blast in the top of the sixth, to make it 3-1. It ended up being the difference in the game, and to say the embattled catcher was happy, would be an understatement.

It was just the 13th home run for Raleigh, who has endured a nightmare campaign following his historic 60-homer season. He remains a shadow of his former self in general, and yet you still root for the guy and refuse to give up on him. Sure, he failed in a bases-loaded situation in the top of the seventh, but he looked more like his old self overall for one night at least, manufacturing a walk and making an important catch deep in foul territory to end an Astros threat in the bottom of the sixth.

Bryan Woo continues his recent turnaround on the road

That the Mariners were even in a position to win though, came down to an excellent start by Bryan Woo. After what has been a rough time for him this season on his travels, the righty has now pitched two consecutive strong games on the road. And to do this in The Bronx and then in Houston against the AL West leaders, tells you all you need to know about his mental toughness.

Woo went 6.0 innings and only allowed three hits, a walk and two runs, while striking out five. Some may wonder why he didn’t get at least another inning after only throwing 75 pitches. However, the Mariners smartly decided not to push their luck, due to the 2025 All-Star advising of some shoulder discomfort prior to the game, and then needing a brief mound visit during his final inning.

Eduard Bazardo came in for Woo and did his job by pitching a scoreless bottom of the seventh, but an inning later the bullpen faced their biggest challenge of the night. Gabe Speier quickly got the first two outs, but after allowing two singles he was replaced by Seranthony Domínguez, who proceeded to fall over on what should have been a routine popup catch. Suddenly the bases were loaded, and Mariners fans could be forgiven for fearing yet another bullpen implosion.

Andrés Muñoz bounces back in crunch time for the Mariners

However, another reminder of the old Raleigh came, with a smartly-timed visit to the mound to have a chat with Domínguez and calm him down. And the righty responded in style with a nasty splitter, striking out Daulton Varsho to end the inning and keep a hold of the 3-2 lead. Still, there was one more test to come, with Muñoz entering in the bottom of the ninth to try and clinch the save.

Memories were still hauntingly fresh for Muñoz, after giving up five runs in extra innings on Friday night for arguably the most devastating loss of the season for the Mariners. And there were nerves all around as he allowed a one-out walk on Sunday night, to bring the winning run to the plate for the Astros. However, the two-time All-Star responded beautifully, by producing two straight strikeouts to secure his 22nd save of the season.

Postgame, Mariners manager Dan Wilson spoke to the media about the win. And in particular the importance of coming back to take the series after losing the opening game to the Astros. He said:

“Yeah, another really exciting ballgame. As we talked about, when these two teams get together, there’s some fireworks. Another great ballgame tonight. Really proud of our guys, and we talked about that first night being a tough one. And for us to come back here and win the series is huge.”

Mariners convinced they’ve turned a corner, although a greater challenge awaits in Milwaukee

Woo also spoke to the media and discussed the Mariners’ impressive response to Friday’s series opening loss. He was asked about what he has seen from the players, to convince him they’ve perhaps turned a corner. He said:

“I think it’s just buying in all together. I feel like we’ve talked about just the fact that the year hasn’t really gone the way that we thought it [would], either as a team or individually. And I think, honestly, it makes it easier for everybody to just kind of let a lot of the beginning of the year go and buy into this is what we’ve got now; this is what we’ve got as a group. Everybody’s in it together, so just continue to stick together, continue to believe, and [we] still have a lot of baseball left. So take advantage of it.”

Despite the euphoria of winning such a crucial series, the challenges just keep on coming for the Mariners. Next up it’s a trip to Milwaukee for a three-game series versus a Brewers team with the best record in the majors. Wilson said:

“Now we go to Milwaukee, another good club. And we just need to continue to do the things that we’ve been doing offensively, and continue to pitch. Each game means so much right now, and each series. So winning series is of the upmost [importance].”

Photos court​‌esy of Tim Rogers Photography

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