Mariners extend winning streak, defeat Detroit Tigers to own second wild card spot

Right now, the Seattle Mariners are doing something they haven’t done in years: Win the games that count in August, the second to last month of the season. And not only are they winning, they’re contending for the playoffs.

After a homestand in which they only lost one game (a game that went into extra innings), the Mariners are now back on the road. (Prior to the homestand, they had been winning more games on the road than at home).

Fittingly, they’re in Detroit, the team that was – prior to today – tied with the Mariners for the second wild card spot.

Now that spot belongs to the M’s after a 7-2 victory over the Tigers. James Paxton made the start for the Mariners and did a decent job. The M’s offense continued to deliver, bringing in seven runs on eleven hits.

Tomorrow, King Felix of the Mariners will be squaring off against David Price of the Tigers. Television pundits are promoting it as a matchup for the ages. Maybe it won’t be that, but it does promise to be a great game, and also the pivotal, decisive game of the series. If the Mariners win, they’ll have taken the series from Detroit and bolstered their position in the standings. Detroit, of course, would like to avoid precisely that. Both teams have every reason to want to play hard and win.

Lookout Landing has a good preview of the Mariners/Tigers series.