Though it’s only been about a week and a half since the last time the Astros saw the Mariners, fortunes have changed somewhat since those contests. Houston was won all three series since then while the Mariners have mostly just tread water.
This has placed them 7.5 back in the division, which is becoming more and more insurmountable as the regular season begins to wind down. While they certainly aren’t out of it yet, a series win by Houston this week could push them so far back that they may as well be eliminated barring a complete collapse by both the Astros and A’s.