At the All-Star break, the AL West looks like a two-team fight with a couple of lurkers still in the picture. The Texas Rangers sit on top at 49-47, but the Seattle Mariners are right there at 48-49, and the gap between them is only 1.5 games.
That margin is thin enough to disappear fast, especially with so much season left. Seattle has the kind of pitching that can erase a deficit in a hurry, and the Mariners have already shown they’re willing to add at the trade deadline. Bryce Miller has been the headliner on the mound, carrying a 2.18 ERA, while the lineup has done enough to keep Seattle afloat with six players reaching double-digit home runs by the break.
Texas, meanwhile, has managed to hold the lead despite some warning signs underneath the record. Jacob deGrom is the only Rangers starter with an ERA under 4.00, and the offense hasn’t exactly powered them through the first half either. Still, they’ve done enough to stay in front, and that’s what matters heading into the second half.
The Houston Astros are not going away either. They’re 3.0 games back, and Yordan Alvarez has been carrying plenty of the load.
He’s the AL MVP favorite after a first half that included 31 home runs, a .318 average and a 1.059 OPS. Christian Walker has added 20 home runs through 96 games, giving Houston another real threat in the middle of the order.
The issue for the Astros is the pitching staff. Peter Lambert is the only qualified starter with an ERA under 4.30, which leaves a lot of room for concern. There is at least one encouraging note: Hunter Brown has gone 1-0 with a 3.57 ERA in seven starts since returning from injury.
Then there’s the Athletics, who are still technically in the mix at 8.0 games back even though they’re 14 games under .500. Their bats can keep them competitive in a division like this, but their place in the race has more to do with the slow starts from Seattle and Texas than anything else. At this point, it’s hard to see Oakland making a real push in the second half.
In Other News...
Mariners Finally Got The Donovan Update This Lineup Needed
The Mariners finally got a meaningful step forward on the Donovan front, as the infielder began a rehab assignment with the clubs Arizona Complex League affiliate. He is easing back in as a designated hitter, a sign the team is starting the ramp-up process after a long stretch without one of the infield options it hoped to lean on.
Donovans absence has been felt in a lineup that has struggled to find enough offense, and Seattle has been waiting for some kind of jolt from a player acquired in February. Since arriving, he has been limited to 25 games, so even a rehab assignment carries added weight as the Mariners try to get him back into the mix and see how quickly he can move toward a return. [Read more 🡒]
New WBC Details Make Cal Raleigh's Slide Look Even Worse
Cal Raleighs season has already been a rough one by his standards, with the Mariners catcher sitting on a negative bWAR and lagging well behind the level he showed a year ago. The latest World Baseball Classic details only add another layer to the story, because Team USA manager Mark DeRosa said Raleighs swing was off during the tournament, a sign that the issues were not limited to his current slump in Seattle.
DeRosa said Raleigh was hooking balls, flying open with his front shoulder and rolling over the top hand, and the usage pattern told its own story as well. Raleigh went 0-for-9 and did not appear in the semifinal or final, while the WBC also brought a right oblique strain and a noisy handshake incident with Randy Arozarena into the picture, leaving one more reminder that his path through that event was anything but smooth. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Suddenly Have A Tough New Decision On Their Young Arms
A new benchmark for young pitching money has landed around the league, and it gives the Mariners another layer to think about as they weigh the future of their own arms. Cincinnatis agreement with Chase Burns is the kind of deal front offices notice immediately, especially in Seattle, where the rotation has been built around homegrown talent and the club has already shown a willingness to lock up key position players for the long haul.
Bryan Woo is the obvious name in that conversation, but he is hardly the only one. Seattle also has top prospects like Ryan Anderson pushing toward the majors, and the organization has to decide how aggressive it wants to be before those pitchers get expensive through the arbitration process. The Mariners have already made their comfort with extensions clear in other parts of the roster, but the pitching side is where the next big test may come, and the Burns deal only sharpens the clock. [Read more 🡒]