Reinforced Mariners set to sound the charge on Astros' position atop AL West

We're not in the business of trying to jinx the Seattle Mariners around here. It would be bad for business, and we know from recent history to not put too much trust into good times. Especially in the last two years, they have been known to turn bad.

And yet, it feels appropriate to go for it right now with...well, not so much a bold prediction as a bold proclamation: There's a good chance the Mariners will be in first place in the American League West by the middle of next week.

Call it a reaction to the vibes if you want. Only good vibes are allowed right now, after all, as it hasn't even been a full week since the Mariners completed a triumphant trade deadline with a deal to bring back Eugenio Suárez after scoring Josh Naylor and Caleb Ferguson. It was sweet, and even sweeter after the Mariners celebrated by winning three out of four against the Texas Rangers.

If the Mariners can do that, then they should be able to handle the next 10 days just fine.

Mariners are hitting a soft spot in their schedule at just the right time

The Mariners enter Tuesday with just a 3.0-game deficit to the Houston Astros in the AL West. It's tied for the smallest division lead in the American League, and it's half the size it was when Seattle trailed Houston by 6.0 games as recently as July 23.

This is even though the Mariners haven't necessarily been hot, as they're only 9-8 in 17 games since the All-Star break. But the Rangers series sure feels like a springboard, and here's what's next:

• August 5-7: 3 vs. Chicago White Sox
• August 8-10: 3 vs. Tampa Bay Rays
• August 12-14: 3 at Baltimore Orioles

In other words: Two series against last-place teams wrapped around another against a club that has lost 23 out of its last 31.

It's only fair to sense a trap, and a couple of the teams the Mariners are about to play have already ensnared them once. The White Sox made them work for a series win in Chicago back in May, and the Orioles walked into Seattle and swept the Mariners in June.

Contrary to the Mariners, however, none of these clubs changed for the better at the trade deadline. The Orioles utterly strip-mined their roster, while the White Sox traded their best pitcher even as they held onto Luis Robert Jr. Said pitcher indeed ended up with the Rays, but they ultimately did a buy/sell mix that resulted in no notable improvements.

Robert is perhaps the only player worth fearing on the White Sox, and they have indeed played better (14-14) since he got his bat going in July (.939 OPS). Yet he has historically struggled against the Mariners, hitting just .136 with 35 strikeouts in 24 career games.

At 18-38, the White Sox are also the worst road team in the entire American League. This, too, bodes well for a Mariners club that is 31-25 at T-Mobile Park overall, with wins in three of their last four home series.

There are, of course, things the Mariners are hoping to see while the White Sox are in town. Atop the list is more thunder from their new corner infielders, as Suárez and Naylor have started slow with 10 hits in 55 combined at-bats in Seattle threads. They'll also be looking for Bryan Woo to level out after experiencing some turbulence in his last three starts, the most recent of which saw him tie a career high with four home runs allowed.

Even as things stand now, though, the Mariners are already a better bet for all sorts of playoff fates than they were at the outset of the regular season. According to FanGraphs, their chances of making the postseason in any capacity are up from 56.1 to 80.0 percent. And to win the AL West, they're up from 31.2 to 35.4 percent.

Again, we're not trying to jinx anything. But there are times when it is OK to be confident, and this is one of them.

Game Times and Probable Pitchers for Mariners vs. White Sox, August 5-7

• Tuesday, August 5 at 6:40 p.m. PT: Davis Martin vs. Bryan Woo
• Wednesday, August 6 at 6:40 p.m. PT: Jonathan Cannon vs. George Kirby
• Thursday, August 7 at 1:10 p.m. PT: Shane Smith vs. Logan Gilbert