Mariners prepare to fight for their playoff lives (and dignity) vs. Braves

What even is the opposite of a road warrior? A road coward? A road pacifist? Probably only George Miller knows for sure, but those in the Pacific Northwest have every right to nominate another candidate: the Seattle Mariners.

This year's club hasn't been waging much war on the road, after all. They are 32-40 away from T-Mobile Park, a record that bodes terribly for their chances of making the playoffs, much less going far in October. And they've only been getting worse, as they haven't won a single road series in the second half and are 3-12 in their last 15 road games.

Never mind just the American League playoff race, in which the Mariners are barely hanging on as a contender for the AL West title and third wild card spot. The other priority for the final stop on their nine-game road trip is to simply salvage some dignity.

Standing in the way are the Atlanta Braves, who more or less resemble a house cat at this stage of the 2025 season — they may look soft and harmless, but they bite.

The Mariners need a Detroit-style miracle in Atlanta this weekend

There are still positives for Mariners fans to accentuate, of course. At least the team has a playoff spot to lose, as they enter the weekend with a 1.5-game lead over the Texas Rangers and 2.0-game leads over the Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Rays in the wild card race.

And who knows? Maybe the Mariners have a surprise in store for this weekend. Some of us still remember when they went into Detroit with their tail between their legs after a brutal series in New York, only to emerge three days later with a sweep of the AL Central-leading Tigers.

It's hard to count on that happening again, though, precisely because of how hard it is to count on anything going well for the Mariners on the road right now.

They haven't pitched well away from home pretty much all year, and the problem has only grown in scope. Only Minnesota Twins hurlers have allowed a higher wOBA in road games than the Mariners since August 1, and the team just below them on the list is the eternally cursed Colorado Rockies.

Take those same rankings and apply them to offenses, and the Mariners rank 23rd in road wOBA since August 1. The pieces are there, and it's still a nice jolt to the nervous system when Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez continue their marches toward various home run records and a second 30-30 season, respectively. But the lineup just isn't clicking, in part because Dan Wilson doesn't seem to know how to use what talent he has.

For their part, the Braves will be the bigger disappointment when these two teams take the field at Truist Park later on Friday. They began this season as a World Series contender, but at no point have they actually looked the part in running their record to 63-77.

At least their offense has finally come around. They're scoring 5.6 runs per game since August 7, with Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II, and Jurickson Profar each hitting at least five home runs in this span.

Oh, and Chris Sale is pitching the opener. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner didn't miss a beat in his return from the injured list last Saturday, striking out nine over six innings of one-run ball.

The Mariners aren't going to impress anyone if they come out of these three games with a series win. But they'll at least avoid further embarrassment, and the reality is that every win counts when a team is in a spot as precarious as theirs.

Besides, they're going to need the momentum. After they leave Atlanta on Sunday, there will be no rest for the weary. They'll have a cross-country flight to make, and then a seven-game homestand in Seattle against the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Angels will begin the next day.

If the Mariners find themselves looking at those games as a fresh start, that will mean things continued to go very wrong in Atlanta.

Game Times and Probable Pitchers for Mariners vs. Braves: September 5-7

• Friday, August 5 at 4:15 p.m. PT: Logan Gilbert vs. Chris Sale
• Saturday, August 6 at 4:15 p.m. PT: Bryce Miller vs. Hurston Waldrep
• Sunday, August 6 at 9:05 a.m. PT: Luis Castillo vs. Bryan Woo