How Seattle Mariners' Remaining Schedule Compares to Other Wild-Card Contenders

With a little less than three weeks remaining in the season, it looks like the American League wild-card race will come down to the wire.

The Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers have been narrowly separated in the standings for the past few weeks, with the Tigers currently half a game ahead. Detroit is also now tied with the Kansas City Royals for the AL Central lead in another race that could be decided in the final days.

Seattle is also only two games behind the Oakland Athletics all of a sudden, meaning hosting the Wild Card Game is a distinct possibility.

While the race is closest between those four, they aren’t the only contenders. The Toronto Blue Jays have crept to within 4.5 games of the wild card, with the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees also on the edge of the picture.  

With little to separate the contenders, each team’s remaining schedule will go a long way toward determining who makes the playoffs. The Mariners might be playing the best right now, but they have a much tougher schedule than the closest competition.   

Seattle Mariners

1 vs. Houston Astros

3 vs. Oakland Athletics

4 at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

3 at Houston Astros

4 at Toronto Blue Jays

3 vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Other than four games against the Astros, the Mariners face a difficult remaining schedule. Seattle’s strength all season has been its pitching staff, which will have to perform well against three of the better offenses in the American League.

Not only do the Mariners face strong opposition, they have a tough travel schedule. Seattle has no off days left and will have to play an afternoon game in Toronto before flying back across the country to Seattle to begin the final series of the regular season the next night. 

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

Seattle needs to take at least three of the games from Houston, as the other three contenders have several combined series against teams below .500.

The key remaining series will be this upcoming weekend against Oakland, as whoever wins the series could take control of the first wild card spot. Seattle has won seven of 10 and may be catching the slumping A’s at the right time, although a talented Oakland team could catch fire at any time.

Seven games against Los Angeles will be no easy task, as the Angles have the best record in baseball and have not slowed down since losing Garrett Richards.

There’s a possibility that Los Angeles will have clinched everything by the last series and will thus be setting up its rotation for the playoffs, which could help Seattle.

A four-game series in Toronto could provide a desperate Blue Jays team a chance to get back into the race at the last moment. The Mariners swept the Blue Jays back in August, but Toronto now has Edwin Encarnacion back and has won eight of its last 10.

Oakland Athletics

2 at Chicago White Sox

3 at Seattle Mariners

3 vs. Texas Rangers

3 vs. Philadelphia Phillies

3 vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

4 at Texas Rangers

The A’s have inexplicably slid since the trade deadline but will get a much-needed break from their schedule over the last three weeks.

TONY AVELAR/Associated Press

Other than six games against the other AL West contenders, Oakland plays two last-place teams and a fourth-place team. Seven games against the depleted Rangers will provide a chance for the A’s to right the ship and hang on to a wild-card slot.

The interleague schedule also lines up nicely for Oakland, as it gets a series with the 67-77 Philadelphia Phillies near the end of the season.

The Mariners are certainly within striking distance of the A’s, but they will have to win the series this weekend and hope Texas can put up a fight.

Detroit Tigers

1 vs. Kansas City Royals

3 vs. Cleveland Indians

3 at Minnesota Twins

3 at Kansas City Royals

3 vs. Chicago White Sox

4 vs. Minnesota Twins

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

Detroit plays only in the division here on out, but 10 of those games come against the two worst teams in the AL Central.

The key remaining contests are obviously four games against the Kansas City Royals, which could decide the division and even knock one of the teams out of the playoffs altogether.

Seattle’s best-case scenario would be if one team won all four of those games, no matter if it's Detroit or Kansas City.

Detroit would be unwise to look over an upcoming series with the Indians, who can still climb back into the race with strong play down the stretch.

Fortunately for the Tigers, they won't have to face Cleveland ace Corey Kluber.

Kansas City Royals

1 vs. Detroit Tigers

4 vs. Boston Red Sox

3 vs. Chicago White Sox

3 vs. Detroit Tigers

Continuation vs. Cleveland Indians (down 4-2 bottom 10)                                

3 at Cleveland Indians

4 at Chicago White Sox

Kansas City might have the toughest schedule of the contenders behind the Mariners, but that’s not saying much.

Four against Boston and seven against the White Sox will boost the Royals’ playoff hopes, but they will still have to win the remaining series against Detroit to claim the division title.

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

On paper, the Tigers should be able to hold off Kansas City, making the Royals the main competition of Seattle for a playoff spot, but the AL Central has been unpredictable all season.

A continuation of a suspended game against Cleveland will also likely end up a loss, putting the Royals in a deeper hole than the standings currently indicate.

The Mariners could use some help from the White Sox, who play a combined 12 games against the other three contenders. If the rotation holds, the Royals will see Chicago ace Chris Sale twice over the last three weeks.