Mariners Have Texas-Sized Obstacle in Way of Playoffs

If the Seattle Mariners are finally going to return to the postseason, they’re going to have to find a way to get past the Texas Rangers.

This dead horse has been beaten, beaten and beaten some more. It’s the story of the Seattle Mariners having the longest current playoff drought in baseball. They have not tasted the postseason since 2001.

Now that I have gotten the obligatory drought statement out of the way, we can continue.

The Mariners have made some exciting moves that lead many to believe this is (finally) the year it all ends. However, something needs to happen before Seattle can pop the bubbly in October: win games.

Last year, the Mariners came oh-so-close to reaching the postseason, falling three games short. They were right in the thick of it for most of the season. This was partly due to their AL West foes stumbling out of the gate.

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The Angels and Athletics were flat-out pathetic all season. The Houston Astros made most of the mainstream baseball media members look silly by under-performing. The Texas Rangers had an up-and-down summer until they turned it on for good in August.

There is one big thing standing in the way of the Mariners making the playoffs. It’s really big actually, and the size of Texas. It is in fact, the state of Texas.

The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers gave the Mariners fits last season. Against the non-Texas AL West teams (A’s and Angels), the Mariners were a combined 23-15. The majority of the time, the Mariners took care of business against the inferior teams of the division.

The other side of the story was their struggles against the Astros and Rangers. They went a combined 15-23 against the two Texas clubs. This included getting swept by the Rangers in a brutal stretch in late August where they lost eight of nine. Looking back, that likely was what cost the Mariners a Wild Card spot.

So, the mission in 2017 is simple. Beat Texas. The whole darn state.

Playoff teams take care of business within their own division. The eventual World Series champion Cubs were 50-25 against the NL Central (compared to the 38-38 record of the M’s against the entire AL West). The American League champion Cleveland Indians were 49-26 in games with their division rivals. There is a trend here.

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The Mariners must beat the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers consistently to make the playoffs. However, this is easier said than done.

The Astros added Carlos Beltran and Josh Reddick. The Rangers added Tyson Ross and Andrew Cashner to the rotation and get a full season of catcher Jonathan Lucroy. These teams have improved as the Mariners have.

Seattle now has the athleticism to cover ground in the Astros’ home ballpark of Minute Maid Park. They also have the mashing sluggers in the middle of the lineup to produce in the friendly confines of Globe Life Park in Arlington.

The Mariners have also re-tooled their rotation. These could be the keys to finally overcoming their biggest roadblock – beating division rivals.

The Mariners should start with holding serve while at Safeco Field against the Astros and Rangers. The M’s only won a couple of the seven series against these two teams at Safeco Field.

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(They only won a couple of the seven series against these two teams at home last season.) If Seattle can win a majority of their series at home and play around .500 ball on the road against the Texas teams, they may be the ones on the summit of the AL West, looking down at everyone else.