Aug 31, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) reacts after he was picked off second base in the seventh inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images David Richard-Imagn Images

Mariners' Cal Raleigh Makes Blunt Admission About Seattle's Playoff Hopes

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Jackson Roberts | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 12:00 PM ET

The Seattle Mariners seem to be developing a knack for falling just short.

In both 2023 and 2024, the Mariners finished as the first team on the bubble outside the American League playoff picture, one game back of the final wild card spot. They're trying not to let it happen again in 2025, but over the past couple of weeks, they've done an abysmal job.

Since their eight-game winning streak brought them to a season-high 14 games above .500 on Aug. 12, the Mariners have gone 6-13. That includes back-to-back series losses to the Cleveland Guardians over the weekend, and the Tampa Bay Rays as of Tuesday night.

Cal Raleigh says "no sugarcoating" Mariners situation

Cal Raleigh, who has carried the Mariners' offense all season, hit his major league-leading 51st home run on Tuesday night, but he also popped out to end the game with the bases loaded, sending Seattle to a 6-5 defeat.

Raleigh, who has slumped along with the Mariners over the last two weeks, let it be known that he wasn't looking forward to potentially being the first team out for a third straight year.

"You don't want to be in that situation again for three years in a row," Raleigh said, per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. "That's just the truth. 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."

Seattle caught a break as the Texas Rangers lost against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night, breaking a five-game winning streak. Still, Texas sits only 1 1/2 games behind the Mariners for the final wild card spot, with the Kansas City Royals lurking 2 1/2 games back.

The Mariners play a three-game set with the Royals from Sept. 16-18 that will decide the season series. They've already won the season series against the Rangers, which at least gives them the tiebreaker if Texas inexcusably runs them down.

More MLB: Mariners Predicted To Cut Ties With 42-HR All-Star At Season's End

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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