The Mariners may have let their best chance at capturing the division title slip away

The Seattle Mariners capped off the weekend in a big way. After a relatively cold stretch, Cal Raleigh re-inserted himself in the AL MVP conversation by setting a new record for home runs hit by a catcher in a single season, helping lead the team to their first series win since the start of the month.

In many ways, it demonstrated just how much better the Mariners seem to be when playing in Seattle, improving their home record to 39-26 for the season. Unfortunately, despite the temporary respite provided by the struggling Athletics, the pressure on the Mariners is only increasing. And with every loss, the road to top spot in the AL West seems like more of an uphill battle.

The Houston Astros remain at the top of the AL West and are poised to finish strong

The Astros have had their fair share of injury issues and free agents that haven't panned out but somehow, they've remained a competitive team all year. With Yordan Alvarez finally beginning his rehab assignment and the strength of their remaining schedule relatively weak, the Mariners may have squandered their best chance of overtaking their rivals.

Houston began August in a vulnerable position, losing 11 out of their first 18 games. But Seattle was losing at the same time, struggling immensely on their last road trip thanks to some rough starting pitching performances. Now, FanGraphs has given the Astros a 57.4% chance to win the division, a significant increase from the near 50/50 odds from a few weeks ago.

Luckily, the Mariners still have great postseason odds and hold a 3.0-game lead over the Royals and a 4.5-game lead over the Rangers, the two closest AL Wild Card competitors. For a franchise that has just one other playoff appearance in the past few decades, that's already a positive outcome. Still, one has to wonder when Seattle will shrug off the label of being a perennial underdog and finally become an AL West powerhouse.

Other than the Angels, every other team in the division has enjoyed some competitive consistency. The Astros have had their dynasty, the Rangers earned the first ever World Series in franchise history in 2023, and even the Athletics have made the playoffs six times since 2012. In many ways, the Mariners have all the right pieces and more than enough talent to be recognized as a real contending team. However, they still haven't found a way to put it all together.

If the season ends in a Wild Card berth and an early exit in October, it will be a bittersweet result. On one hand, it would mean that the organization is making significant strides in the right direction, but it would also mean there are improvements to be made.

Whether that means investing in pricier free agents or leaning on appealing prospect talent is unclear, but what is becoming more of a certainty is that Seattle will have to wait for another year to be crowned kings of their division.