3 key reasons Mariners were able to break out the brooms in their sweep of the Reds

You wouldn't think it because of how long the baseball season is, but things can still change fast for any team. It's even more apparent when you think about a team like the Mariners, and the position that they were in heading into this latest series that they just completed against the Reds. They were 6-10 heading in, and plenty of fans were downtrodden because of how the season started.

Was it too early to call this series against the Reds a turning point? It remains to be seen, but even heading into the series, I think it was a fairly valid point to make and argue. Think about it this way. If the Mariners got swept, they would've been 6-13 and owners of one of the 5 worst records in baseball. To make the playoffs, you would have to assume they'd need to play at a 97-win (60%) pace the rest of the season to get to 92 wins, which comfortably puts you in the playoffs. Would 86-57 be possible?

Instead, they now sit at 9-10, and things look a lot better. 83-60 sounds a lot more doable than 86-57, even though it's just three games. I think the more important aspect to look at here is the AL West, and how even with a C- grade to start the season, the Mariners are only one game back of the division lead.

So, how did they get here? Let's take a look at the most impactful reasons that the Mariners were able to sweep the Reds as they (hopefully) turned their season around.