Mariners hold their own against one of baseball's best and creep closer in WC race

The Mariners put up an even fight against one of the better MLB rosters in 2024. They scored eight runs while conceding nine over two games and are now 3.5 games behind the Astros for the AL West spot, while sitting four games behind the Minnesota Twins in the Wild Card race.

Best Hitter: Victor Robles

9 PA, .500/.667/.667, 3 H, 1 2B, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 HBP, 1 SB

Robles continues to be a blessing for the Mariners lineup, getting on base at a very consistent clip while putting the ball in play when necessary. After a slight slump in August which saw him post a .661 OPS over 89 plate appearances, he's back to swinging a hot bat with a 1.075 OPS over 34 plate appearances in September. His BABIP of .526 likely isn't sustainable but he managed to keep a similar mark over the full month of June so huge regression isn't necessarily guaranteed.

Honorable Mention: Luke Raley

8 PA, 2 H, 1 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K

While Robles has been great since joining the team, Raley has arguably been one of the most important offensive contributors in aggregate. He has been with the team since day one and although he had to fight for full playing time at the beginning of the season, he's become a recurring staple in the lineup. His cumulative OPS of .774 is the highest on the team of any player with >210 plate appearances and he's second on the team in homers (19) and RBI (52).