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Behind Eugenio Suarez and some clutch hitting, the Mariners ARE TIED FOR FIRST PLACE IN THE AL WEST!
The top of the Mariners lineup dominated in the opening game of the series against the Royals, and came out with a win. Do you know what that means? THE MARINERS ARE TIED FOR FIRST PLACE IN THE AL WEST!
Let's hop in the way back machine for a minute. Well, not way back, but a little ways back. It's July 29th, and the Mariners are 6.5 games back of the Rangers. Not many people are thinking about the division, because the Mariners are still 5.5 games back of the last Wild Card spot. Things are starting to turn around, but there is a long way to go.
All of a sudden, it gets a bit crazy. Sewald is traded. The Rangers make a big trade. The Astros make a big trade. The Angels decide to go for it and keep Ohtani and make an acquisition as well. Then there are the M's, who don't do a ton outside of the Sewald swap. Yet, the Mariners are 19-6 over their last 25 games. All that is my little preamble for the next sentence.
THE MARINERS ARE TIED FOR FIRST PLACE IN THE AL WEST!
It got started early for the Mariners against the Royals. JP Crawford hit a monster bomb. Seriously, as it was the longest one of his career, mashed 432 feet into the depths of right center field.
.@jp_crawford ain't got time to wait. pic.twitter.com/3FkIgLzNVN
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 26, 2023
Julio beat out an infield single, stole second, and made it home on an outfield single to give the Mariners a 2-0 lead. It wouldn't last long as the Royals would score 3 in the second.
Fortunately for the Mariners, the top of the lineup showed up strong in the opener. JP, Julio, Geno, and Dumper went a combined 11-18 with four runs, five RBI, and the homer by JP and steal by Julio. Oh, they had two walks as well. Geno hit a two run single in the fourth to put the Mariners back in front, and then gave them the insurance run to get to 7-5 in the 8th.
Geno had himself quite a game, and was a big reason that the Mariners got the 7-5 win. The Royals have been feisty as of late, scoring a lot of runs and doing well at the plate. The Mariners did enough to get the win, and now sit at 72-56, tied with the Rangers for first place and a game up on the Astros. The Mariners have a great opportunity to take sole position of the top spot with a couple more games against KC and then three against Oakland. Go Mariners!