Mariners: How does their schedule stack up to the other playoff hopefuls?

Athletics Remaining Strength of Schedule: .523 w/35 games left (5th toughest)

• 7 vs Seattle
• 6 vs Houston
• 4 vs New York
• 3 vs Toronto

There are two important stretches for the Athletics to keep an eye on. The first is their next series, which was referenced a bit earlier. They play four games against the Yankees next. We all know that with four-game series, you can end up with a wild swing if someone wins the series. There aren’t really feel good wins when you lose a four-game series. Not like when Seattle came back and won the finale against Houston. It wouldn’t have been the same if it was game four.

They play Toronto and the White Sox early in September, and then their season will likely come down to the last two weeks of the season. They finish with four against the Mariners and three against Houston, then follow it up with three in Seattle and three in Houston.

This might just be the toughest/most important stretch that any of these teams listed are going to face. Look, every game is important at this point. That’s definitely not something I’m arguing. I’m trying to get across that the mix of importance and difficulty is likely higher than that of what anyone else is going to face.