The MLB Wild Card Standings reveal that the Seattle Mariners still have a shot at the postseason, but that time is starting to run out on the team. The afternoon victory on Saturday (July 29) was a big one over the New York Mets, but the team needs to close out the series with another win on Sunday (July 30).
With that win, the Seattle Mariners improved to 52-53 on the season, which is good enough for second place in the American League West. The team still trails the Houston Astros by 17 games for the division lead, but that isn’t the race that the Mariners are interested in this season.
To finally make it back to the MLB Playoffs for the first time since the 2001 season, the Mariners will have to secure one of the Wild Card spots.
Who are American League Wild Card leaders?
The Boston Red Sox are currently the first place team in the AL Wild Card standings at 57-48 and they are followed by the Kansas City Royals at 54-48 as the second Wild Card team. Both teams are also in divisional battles still, with the Red Sox trailing the Yankees by just half a game in the AL East and the Royals three games behind the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central.
The Tampa Bay Rays trail the Royals by two-and-a-half games for that second Wild Card spot, with the Seattle Mariners sitting at three-and-a-half games back.
The Rays and Mariners are certainly still in striking distance of making the playoffs, but both teams may need to make another acquisition or two before the MLB trade deadline in order to have a significantly better chance at catching the Red Sox or Royals.
Mariners taking action to move up Wild Card standings?
The Seattle Mariners did trade for David Phelps from the Miami Marlins and had been in discussions with the San Francisco Giants to acquire additional pitching.
Meanwhile, the offense finally started to get healthy, until Mitch Haniger was hit by a pitch in the face on Saturday and ended up back on the disabled list. Outfield depth shouldn’t be a problem, but the team has to find consistency at the plate.
At 52-53 on the season, the Mariners would need to go on a nice winning streak or two to realistically get back in the Wild Card race.
The team has 57 games left in the regular season, giving them a full two months of action to make their mark on the league. Time has not run out yet, but Felix Hernandez, Robinson Cano, and Nelson Cruz are going to need to step up in a big way for the Seattle Mariners to move further up the Wild Card standings.
