ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Seattle Mariners continue to hover at .500, which is enough to remain in the thick of the American League wild-card chase with 40 games to play.
The Tampa Bay Rays, who host Seattle in the opener of a three-game series on Friday, are struggling to stay in the same conversation.
Seattle (61-61) had Thursday off, after back-to-back wins over Baltimore to finish a 2-5 homestand. The Rays (60-63) have lost 10 of their last 13 after dropping three of four games at Toronto.
"That will put a few gray hairs on here," Mariners manager Scott Servais said while lifting his hat after a 7-6 win over Baltimore on Wednesday.