Mariners can't turn a blind eye to Astros suddenly sneaking up AL West standings

Just when you think the Fast and Furious franchise is done, they announce the release of yet another movie. Every time Aaron Rodgers teases retirement, he comes back for just one more season. And whenever it looks like the Astros are finally finished, they rise like a Phoenix from the flames.

Mariners fans had hoped that finally winning the AL West last season for the first time since 2001 would signal a changing of the guard. And when the Astros struggled to a 16-27 record to begin the 2026 campaign, it only seemed to reinforce the belief that they were fading after a decade of dominance that included four World Series appearances and two championships.

However, we really should have known after all this time that you should never, ever, count out the Astros. Sure it's great to see the Mariners back in first place in the division after sweeping the Athletics, but their mortal enemy is beginning to lurk. Houston's finest have begun to get on a roll, winning 10 of 15 and seven out of their last nine and they enter Friday's action just 2.5 games behind the M's at the AL West summit.

The Astros offense is looking dangerous, ranking in the top 10 in scoring and with the fifth-highest OPS in the majors. Leading the way is a revitalized Yordan Alvarez, who has recovered from an injury-impacted 2025 campaign to reclaim his standing of one of the top hitters in the game. He leads the majors in a host of categories including slugging percentage, OPS and OPS+, while also sitting just one off the league lead for home runs.

Helping with the Astros' resurgence is that the pitching has really calmed down of late. A 6.08 ERA in April has been replaced by a 3.80 ERA in May. As a result, while the playoff odds for the Athletics and Rangers are gradually falling, they're trending in the opposite direction for the ballclub which has won seven AL West titles since 2017.

Just to make things worse for the Mariners, reinforcements are on the way in Houston

As if all that wasn't enough to have the Mariners taking a nervous look over their shoulders, the Astros are only going to get healthier in the coming weeks. And we're not exactly talking about a list of scrubs, with the players set to return from injury including Josh Hader, Cristian Javier and Hunter Brown. Yep, that's right, the pitching will theoretically become even stronger. (Oh, and nine-time All-Star Jose Altuve has taken a major step towards his own return, from an oblique injury.)

Look, we still think the Mariners roster is the strongest in the AL West and they've already clinched the season series versus the Astros with five games to spare. However, you wouldn't put it past that pesky/annoying team from Houston to make those final two games in Seattle in late September mean something.

The Fast and Furious franchise has announced the next movie that will be released in 2028 will be the final mainline instalment. Rodgers has said the 2026 NFL season will be his last one before he retires. However, if you expect the Astros to similarly -- and more to the point willingly -- step aside, then you haven't been paying attention.

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