With the last stretch of the season underway the Seattle Mariners find themselves in a position that they have not been in since 2001- a chance to make the postseason. With a four-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles going into Monday, the Mariners are trying to stay afloat while they deal with recent injuries that have the Emerald City holding their breath.
Seattle Mariners Dealing with Late-Season Injuries
Julio Rodriguez, the odds favorite to win the AL Rookie of the year, has been listed as day-to-day as he was a late scratch just before first pitch on Saturday. The rookie experienced back pain during batting practice that made Mariners manager, Scott Servais, pull him from the lineup, calling it a day-to-day injury. Rodriguez has been one of the Seattle Mariners’ hottest bats, hitting .392/.475/.784 in the month of September. Not to mention his six home runs in just thirteen games.
Another major setback for the Mariners came during a routine ground ball to third baseman Eugenio Suarez where he was able to field and throw out batter Luis Rengifo. Unfortunately for Suarez, he suffered from a minor fracture in his right pinky finger, landing him on the IL. Suarez, fifteen home runs dating back to August 1st, has made him one of the hottest sluggers, only second to New York Yankees Aaron Judge.
Suarez’s return to the lineup is still yet to be determined as he is set to see a specialist on September 19th.
Postseason in the Pacific Northwest?
Over the past twenty one seasons the Seattle Mariners have won just enough to peak the interest of the fanbase. Starting the season off hot, then cooling off in the middle, before making one last push to garner excitement from fans in the Pacific Northwest, making them ask themselves, “Is this the year?”
Luckily for the Mariners, they are set to close out the season on a very favorable schedule. They continue the ten game homestead with the series against the Angels before moving onto the Oakland A’s and the Kansas City Royals before taking to the road for the last nine games. In previous years, the Mariners have always been in the chase, needing to win every game, while also needing other teams to lose.
The Mariners are sitting in the driver seat holding a four game lead over the Baltimore Orioles with roughly fifteen games to go. There is something special about this Mariners team and it starts with the twenty one year old rookie Julio Rodriguez. Word around the league is that there is a new “Kid” in town, and they aren’t talking about Ken Griffey Jr. joining Seattle’s front office last offseason. If the Mariners can find a way to stay healthy, it feels like the twenty one year playoff drought can finally come to an end.
