There was a time in the not-too-distant past when it looked like home run-hitting catcher Cal Raleigh would easily lead the Seattle Mariners to the postseason, giving the team a chance to do some serious damage thanks to the midseason additions of Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez.
But over the past ten games, things haven't been so easy for the Pacific Northwest's best, with the team recording a 4-6 record as the Houston Astros' division lead sits at three games.
Discussing what's been going wrong and how the team can course correct before the end of the regular season with reporters after Seattle's 6-5 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, Raleigh noted that, after three-straight years of disappointment, he wants to see his team avoid that “terrible” fate once more this fall.
“You don't want to be in that situation again for three years in a row. That's just the truth,” Raleigh said via Ryan Divish. “There's no sugarcoating it. That would be a terrible, terrible way to go out. But it's our job to do everything we can to push through and make it a reality of being in the playoffs.”
After losing two straight games to the Rays by a combined score of 16-7, it would make sense that morale might not be the best in the Mariners' locker room at the moment. Still, Seattle is one of the more talented teams in the AL West, with an influx of talent at the deadline meant to smooth over any cracks in the foundation. If they can simply play up to their own expectations, there's little reason to believe Seattle couldn't accomplish their goal in a few weeks' time, with every team's record evening up at zero when the postseason opens up.
