The Seattle Mariners just accomplished some history in a walk-off win over the Los Angeles Angels. Now, they are tied with the Houston Astros in the AL West race. Yes, the Mariners' division title hopes are alive. Many Mariners players have come alive this month and are doing everything they can to ensure October baseball in Seattle.
Seattle currently has -170 odds to win the AL West, according to FanDuel. Recently, they jumped into a favorable spot and are now the favorites to take the division. The Mariners' division title hopes are better than ever, and they are clicking at the right time. Yet, there is still work to do, and this team must maintain consistency. As easy as it would be to make the playoffs, it would be just as easy to miss them entirely.
The Mariners are in the middle of a four-game series with the Angels. Next, they will begin a six-game road trip that sees them face the Kansas City Royals and Houston Astros. After that, the M's will conclude the regular season with three home games against the Colorado Rockies and three against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Seattle has been awesome all season. Notably, the Mariners also have a great shot to win an AL Wild Card spot. But there is a bigger fish to fry. The M's have a golden chance to win the AL West race against the Astros. Significantly, the M's have a chance to impact their own chances very soon directly. It's time to look at everything that has transpired this season, and the one Mariners player who must step up.
How the season has gone for the Mariners
The season started slowly for the Mariners. In fact, they were 3-7 over their first 10 games. The M's quickly turned it around and finished the month 18-12. Then, May came around, and the Mariners finished the month with a 31-26 mark. June saw some inconsistency, and the team was 44-40 at the end of the month.
With the Mariners sitting at 51-45 at the All-Star Break, there was hope, but still a lot of work to do. Nothing really changed for the M's as they went into August with a 58-52 record. Things slowly progressed in the month, and the Mariners came into September with a 73-64 record.
A four-game losing streak looked bad to start September. However, the M's have bounced back with six consecutive wins and now find themselves in the driver's seat, ready to win the AL West race.
How some players have done
Cal Raleigh is setting records all over the place for the team. Currently, he is batting .239 with 53 home runs, 113 RBIs, and 95 runs. It has been an amazing season for him. Likewise, others have done well, too.
Julio Rodriguez has stepped up, helping the M's when they have needed him. He is batting .267 with 30 home runs, 89 RBIs, and 95 runs. Meanwhile, Randy Arozarena has consistently thrived and is batting .246 with 27 home runs, 73 RBIs, and 89 runs. These hitters have come through in the clutch. Yet, this team needs more from a certain Mariners player. That Mariners player is Eugenio Suarez.
Why Euguenio Suarez must do more to win the AL West race
The Mariners traded for Suarez with the hope that he could give them some of what he used to. He is batting .231 with 45 home runs, 109 RBIs, and 89 runs. Yet, he has slowed down considerably in his time with the M's.
Suarez has struggled, batting just .184 with nine home runs, 22 RBIs, and 19 runs. Additionally, he has a .261 on-base percentage, a .418 slugging percentage, and a .680 ops. Suarez has stolen three bases while getting caught once. Also, he has struck out 53 times while walking just 14. Because he has had just 141 official at-bats, this is alarming.
The Mariners need a lot more from Suarez if they want to have a chance to win the AL West. With Suarez batting in the sixth spot in the batting order, the pressure is not nearly as high as it would be if he were in the heart of the order. Regardless, he must figure out what is causing him to struggle at the plate to help the Mariners make a good run and win the AL West.
The Mariners need the full scale of their offense to overtake the Astros. While Arozarena, Raleigh, Rodriguez, Josh Naylor, and Jorge Polanco all can hit the ball well, they also need Suarez to do his part. Striking out at the plate as frequently as he has is a momentum stuffer and something that could hurt the Mariners down the line. It's time for Suarez to step up and fulfill what the M's envisioned when they brought him back to Seattle.
