Mariners face monumental test in showdown vs. Rangers ace Jacob deGrom

To say that the Seattle Mariners have been hot would be an understatement. It has been years since the lineup has been this productive and with eight wins in their last ten games, they don't seem to be slowing down at all.

Seattle currently has the fourth-highest OPS in MLB (.770) and the second-highest wRC+ (130), figures that no one could have predicted given their offensive struggles over the past few years and their lack of offseason activity.

The Mariners will look to sweep the Rangers on Sunday, but Jacob deGrom stands in their way

Most recently, the Mariners have been in Arlington, Texas putting a beating on the Rangers, a key division rival. After a crushing 13-1 victory to kick the series off, they seized a close win in the second game thanks to Rowdy Tellez and Jorge Polanco, two players who have begun to make a real case for themselves as fan favorites despite getting off to rough starts as Mariners.

Seattle has already made it eight consecutive series wins, but every additional victory matters while the division is still somewhat close and a clean sweep would drive the scorching momentum even higher before they set off for Sacramento to take on the Athletics.

The only problem is that Jacob deGrom is slated to toe the slab in the third and final game of the series. Fans may remember his last outing against the Mariners, where he conceded four walks and three earned runs in just four innings of work. However, since that start on April 11th, he has allowed just three earned runs over 18.1 innings, dropping his season ERA to just 2.73.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner was vocal about the adjustments he made in the offseason to try and stay on the field for longer and he seems to have finally figured it out. His fastball is still averaging almost 97 mph but his slider has been the primary reason for his more recent success. Opposing hitters are averaging just .157 against the pitch while whiffing 40.9 percent of the time.

This could most dramatically impact players like Julio Rodríguez and Ben Williamson, who have struggled against sliders so far, while others like J.P. Crawford and Cal Raleigh have found considerable success.

Ultimately, the Mariners have already proven that they're able to come out on top when facing deGrom when they did it three weeks ago. It's true that they're missing quite a few names from the roster and he has also looked more like the deGrom of old. But if the Mariners' bats stay aggressive, confident, and keep up the torrid pace they've been on for the past month, they're more than capable of rising to the challenge.