Takeaways From Seattle Mariners Series Win Against Houston Astros

SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners came out of the All-Star Break in a strong way and made up one game n the American League West over the weekend after winning a three-game series against the Houston Astros.

The series had a little bit of everything for both teams and wasn't the cleanest showing from either club, and the Mariners failed to pull of a series sweep after a big opportunity to do so Sunday.

With all that being said, here's the takeaways from the series between Seattle and Houston:

Daunting schedule might force the Mariners to chase bullpen help

The series between the M's and Astros also marked the first three of a daunting stretch of 17 consecutive games for the M's without a day off. And any hope of keeping the bullpen fresh for the long haul quickly evaporated.

The Mariners used every single reliever in the series. Every bullpen arm except Juan Burgos pitched in the team's 11-inning, 7-6 win against Houston on Saturday alone.

I mentioned before in an analysis piece before the series that Seattle's bullpen isn't as bad as many make it out to be, and bullpen help shouldn't take priority over bats in trade discussions. I still feel that way, but the last game of the series showed what a worn and tired M's relief unit looks like.

The Mariners trailed 5-3 when the game turned over to the relievers on Sunday against the Astros, still close enough for Seattle to make a push. Casey Legumina, who was pitching for the second day in a row, allowed four runs in the seven and Burgos allowed two across the eighth and ninth innings. The M's lost 11-3.