The All-Star break did nothing to alter the trajectory of the A’s or the Seattle Mariners.
The A’s open a two-game homestand on Tuesday against their A.L. West rivals having won four in a row and 10 of 12 overall to remain in the thick of the wild-card race. The last-place Mariners arrive in the Bay Area having lost four in a row and seven of eight overall.
Four months ago the teams appeared headed in vastly different directions after the Mariners swept a two-game series from the A’s in the season-opening series in Japan.
Seattle clobbered its way to a 13-2 mark, though thoughts of ending the longest active playoff drought in professional sports quickly were dashed.