Updated AL West and wild card standings before Mariners welcome Cubs, Phillies

No one will deny this has been one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history for a team which had high ambitions and faced significant expectations. Everything that could go wrong has, from a copious amount of injuries, to far too many bullpen meltdowns, to underwhelming offensive production from key players. And yet even as they sit here today with a 60-68 record, somehow, some way, the Mariners still have a legitimate path to making the playoffs.

To get some idea of how little faith critics have in the Mariners at the moment, coming home from their latest road trip with a 4-5 record was better than many expected ahead of time. The fear was that facing the Yankees, Astros and Brewers in enemy territory would finish off the M's. And it sure felt like the season was over, following their embarrassing, franchise record 22-0 thrashing in Milwaukee.

Updated AL West Standings after Mariners' series loss to Brewers

In the end though, what helped the Mariners was managing to win their three-game series versus the AL West-leading Astros. It arguably should have been a sweep, but at least the two wins helped towards the M's returning to Seattle just 4.0 games behind their biggest divisional rivals. Another loss in Houston would have put them 6.0 games back, which would have obviously been more detrimental.

No matter how bad it feels like it is for the M's right now, they're still in this damn thing! FanGraphs gives them odds of 32.1 percent overall to make the playoffs, with a 24.6 percent chance of winning the division.

If this all seems like lunacy for a team which is ranked dead last in the majors in runs per game, there's a good reason for the potential positive outcome. Take a look at each team's remaining strength of schedule, and you'll find the Mariners have the second-easiest run the rest of the way, at .475. This is helped by the enticing prospect of 17 combined games next month versus the Angels, Athletics and Rockies, who have the three worst records in the majors.

Latest AL Wild Card Standings

Of course, an easier schedule in September might not even matter if the Mariners can't stay in touch in the meantime. In this respect, their next four series see them face three teams currently in playoff positions and a suddenly rejuvenated Blue Jays side which is now just 0.5 games out of a wild card spot:

At least the M's get to start things off with a six-game homestand versus the Cubs and Phillies, not that this makes it much easier. That's because the Cubs are 36-27 on the road while the Phillies are 35-28, which are the fifth and sixth-best away records respectively in the majors.

Making this even more imposing is that the Mariners are only 33-29 at home, compared to usually being more successful at T-Mobile Park in recent seasons. Irrespective, the M's will be happier that they're facing these two teams in Seattle as opposed to travelling to Chicago and Philadelphia.

A much-anticipated Major League debut for the Mariners

Mariners fans could be forgiven for only feeling tenuously hopeful at this point, not helped by years of having their hearts broken. And yet the hope is there, helped by a healthy dose of anticipation with Kade Anderson set to make his Major League debut on Saturday. Although it won't be the easiest of beginnings for the southpaw, with him facing a Cubs team with leads the majors in OPS versus left-handed pitchers.

Overall, things couldn't be more surreal right now for the Mariners and their fanbase. They really shouldn't still be in with a realistic shot at the playoffs, not with how they've played so far this season. (They'd be dead and buried if they were in the NL.) And yet here we are, still hoping for them to finally start playing up to their collective talent level. So for now, we'll continue to say: "Go M's!"

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow