ESPN.com · Jul 10, 2018
Real or not? A's can keep AL playoff chase interesting
Be afraid, Seattle Mariners fans, be very afraid. The Oakland Athletics are sizzling hot, having won 17 of 21 after shutting out the Astros 2-0 on Monday, and are only six games back for the second wild card.
That's still a comfortable lead for the Mariners, and FanGraphs still gives Seattle playoffs odds of 81.6 percent compared to Oakland's 14.6 percent, but given the Mariners have the longest playoff drought in the majors and the A's are playing with house money, all the pressure in the second half falls on the Mariners to not fall apart.