Mariners vs Athletics: Why overlooking this year's Athletics could be dangerous

The Mariners return home after a seven-game road trip that saw them go 3-4, winning the series against the Houston Astros, followed by nearly getting mopped against the Minnesota Twins. The Mariners are sitting in a much better spot than anyone envisioned they would be a month ago, but there is still work to be done.

For the greater part of the last decade, seeing the Athletics and the Royals back-to-back on your schedule would be a welcome sight for any team. This isn't the case in 2024, though, as the Royals are well above .500 and the Athletics are as feisty as any team in baseball, and only sit a few games under .500, despite their large negative run differential.

Against the Athletics, the Mariners went 15-4 in 2012, 11-8 in 2022, and 12-1 in 2023. I suspect this year's win ratio is going to be more in line with 2022, at least until their owner throws a fit and either trades anyone good away or sends them down to the minors (again).

It seems like a Khris Davis style Athletics team, as they don't have a great batting average (26th), but sit 3rd in home runs on the season. The Mariners will need to watch out for any mistakes, because the Athletics can make you pay, even in Seattle with the Marine Layer. Let's get into it and see what the Mariners can expect to face this weekend, and who they need to be wary of at the plate for Oakland.