Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez (44) celebrates after hitting a single against the Chicago White Sox during the seventh inning at T-Mobile Park on Aug. 5. Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Seattle Mariners Odds of Passing Houston Astros in American League West Rapidly Improving

Originally posted on Seattle Mariners on SI
By Brady Farkas | Last updated Aug 8, 2025 11:15 AM ET

Having won six of seven games since the trade deadline, the Seattle Mariners enter play on Friday at 63-53, a season-high 10 games over .500.

The Mariners are coming off a sweep of the Chicago White Sox and will look to continue the positive momentum over the weekend against the Tampa Bay Rays at T-Mobile Park.

Dom gets it done‼️ pic.twitter.com/x4fOILoUmW
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 7, 2025

The Mariners have assumed a 1.5-game lead over the New York Yankees for the second wild card spot in the American League, and they've also pulled within 1.5 games of the Houston Astros in the American League West as they seek their first division title since 2001.

And according to Fangraphs, the M's are rapidly improving both their playoff and division chances.

The Mariners will have three games against the Astros from Sept. 19-21, and that series will determine who gets the season tiebreaker. The two teams are 5-5 against each other on the year.

The Astros have dealt with a bevy of injuries this year, with Yordan Alvarez, Isaac Paredes, Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia all out at the moment. Just Thursday, ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney told the 'Refuse to Lose' podcast that he thought the Mariners were going to come back and win the division.

You can read more on that here.

The Mariners will kick off the series with the Rays on Friday night at 6:40 p.m. PT. The M's will send right-hander Luis Castillo to the mound while the Rays counter with Washington native Drew Rasmussen.

Castillo is 8-6 with a 3.22 ERA.

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

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