There are only six days left in the 2023 season, making every ranking-impacting matchup take on major importance.
And that was the case in the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Houston Astros last night (Monday).
Barely coming off a sweep against the Texas Rangers, the Mariners continued down the wrong path, losing for a fourth straight time and for a seventh time in their last ten games, this time by a score of 5 -1.
In his team’s victory, veteran Justin Verlander was dominant during his eight innings of work, striking out eight batters.
On the other side of the spectrum, the Mariners had won their last ten games started by Luis Castillo, but the latter suffered his first defeat since July 14 at a very bad time.
The Washington State team now finds itself a game and a half from the last place qualifying for participation in the playoffs. With only six games to play, it could be very complicated going forward.
The two rival teams will cross swords once again this evening (Tuesday) in a match that Seattle cannot escape. For the occasion, Christian Javier will automatically be for the Astros, while George Kirby will be tasked with saving the Mariners’ season.
For their part, the Rangers got the job done by beating the Los Angeles Angels by a score of 5-1. With this victory, Texas maintains its two and a half game lead over the Astros at the top of the American League West division.
The results of the first day of the last week of the season open the playoff door wide for the Toronto Blue Jays, who had a day off yesterday and who will begin a three-game series against the New York Yankees today at the Rogers Centre.
Barring a major collapse, the Blue Jays will be in the fall dance.
