The Seattle Mariners were eight outs away from reaching their first World Series in 2025, but they likely will sit out the 2026 playoffs following a disappointing regular season.
The Mariners (71-82) faltered after the All-Star break and are on the verge of elimination with nine games remaining, but they want to finish this year strong.
After ending a three-game losing streak on Wednesday, Seattle will open a three-game series with the Colorado Rockies in Denver on Friday night.
Seattle right-hander Bryan Woo (12-9, 3.88 ERA) will make his first career appearance against Colorado, which has yet to name a starter for the series opener.
The Mariners were 51-50 on July 20 but lost 15 of their next 20 games to drop in the playoff hunt.
Several players haven't matched their success from last year, most notably Cal Raleigh.
The catcher had 60 home runs and 125 RBIs last season but has just 22 homers, 66 RBIs and a .182 batting average this year.
The Mariners finished 90-72 in 2025.
"It's difficult, it's frustrating, all those things," manager Dan Wilson said.
"And it's never a good mark to be at, and that's not one that we expected to be at.
So yeah, it's frustrating.
It's just tough to be there at this point." It's a tough reality for a team that had championship goals heading into the season.
"That wasn't the expectation," Wilson said....
