An open date Thursday in the Mariners’ schedule offers a chance to assess before they begin a four-city trip Friday with the first of three weekend games at Tampa Bay.
The Mariners are 61-61 and trail the Los Angeles Angels by 1 1/2 games in a crowded race for the American League’s two wild-card berths. (Yes, those four home losses last weekend to the Angels were costly.)
Nine clubs, as of Thursday, were within 3 1/2 games of a spot with roughly one-quarter of the season remaining.
And since each of the three division leaders has a cushion of at least 4 1/2 games, it’s shaping up as a wild-card scramble over the final six-plus weeks.