The Mariners enter the weekend at 57-65 and trying to do everything they can to keep their faint postseason hopes alive.
The Seattle Mariners enter this weekend series with the Houston Astros at 57-65 and losers of six of their last seven games. They've seen their once almost certain playoff odds dwindle to just 31 percent, according to Fangraphs.
This weekend will have a major bearing on those odds moving forward, as Seattle trails the Astros by five games in the American League West, with the Texas Rangers sandwiched between the two.
If the Mariners can sweep the Astros, as they did a year ago, then they can move as close as two back, while also helping in the wild card. If they get swept, they can fall to eight back, effectively ending their season.
The Mariners have a 7-1 record against the Astros this season, but don't let things fool you. These are not the same teams as they were when the Mariners accumulated those victories.
In fact, there are four serious worries that the Mariners should have heading into Houston.
1) Jeremy Pena is back
Pena, one of the best offensive shortstops in the league, has played in only two of eight games against the Mariners this season. He is back, and playing very well, hitting .290 with 13 homers and 38 RBIs. He's carrying an OPS of .822 and an OPS+ of 131. While Yordan Alvarez is the biggest fear in the lineup, Pena isn't too far behind.
Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña (3) hits a double during the fourth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images2) Hunter Brown and Josh Hader
The Mariners have missed Brown and Hader all season because of injury issues for the duo, but they are both back as well.
If the Astros have a lead late? Hader is as close to automatic as it comes. Brown will pitch on Sunday, and while he has an ERA of 3.68 this season, he's certainly still got the ability to pitch well against the Mariners' extremely tepid offense.
3) All the lefties in the bullpen
The Mariners' lineup is made up of a ton of lefties, including Josh Naylor, Brendan Donovan and Dominic Canzone. On top of that, the switch-hitters of Cal Raleigh, Leo Rivas and Brock Rodden either haven't, or don't figure, to offer much resistance hitting right-handed.
The Mariners have been the worst team in baseball against lefties for most of the year, and the Astros can bring Hader, Bennett Sousa, Bryan King and Steven Okert out of the 'pen at any time, further complicating things for Dan Wilson.
4) The Mariners bullpen is thin
This has been an issue for the Mariners for much of the year, but in this series, not having Matt Brash, and even Cooper Criswell, is an issue. And the struggles of Gabe Speier the other night don't give you a lot of faith, especially in matchups against Alvarez.
The one positive? Carlos Vargas could be back in this series from his rehab assignment. But he is a wild card, as he hasn't pitched all season.
Of note
The newest edition of the 'Refuse to Lose Territory' podcast is out, featuring former Mariners broadcaster Dave Sims! You can listen here, you can watch in the YouTube player below.
