Statement Weekend

By: Mike Rifkin

As we get closer to September, the races across Major League Baseball are tight. Three teams, in particular, made statements this weekend on their quests to make the postseason. 

The Seattle Mariners went to Houston and swept the reigning World Series Champions. They outscored the Astros 19-9 in the three-game series. The Mariners have won six in a row and are 7-3 in their last ten games. Their recent surge in play has put the Mariners in the third wild-card position and ½ game behind the Astros for the second wild-card position. It also makes them three games behind the Rangers for the AL West lead. Julio Rodriguez has had 18 hits over his last five games. Before Sunday, he had four consecutive hit games, which tied a Major League record. 

The Boston Red Sox entered the Bronx and swept the arch-rival New York Yankees. The Red Sox outscored the Yankees 24-9 over the three games. Rafael Devers drove four runs in, and Justin Turner drove six runs over the three-game series. The Red Sox are now three games behind the Mariners for the final wild-card spot in the American League. 

The other team who made a statement this weekend was the Milwaukee Brewers. The NL Central leaders went to Arlington and swept the AL West-leading Rangers. Over the last two games of the series, the Brewers’ pitching held the Rangers to three runs. Freddy Peralta and Adrian Houser struck out 18 hitters in their 10.2 innings pitched. The Brewers handed Max Scherzer his first loss as a Ranger. The Brewers are 7-3 in their last ten games, and they’ve won three in a row and now lead the Cubs by three games in the NL Central. 

The Mariners and Red Sox don’t get some of the same talks as some of the elite in the American League, and the Brewers aren’t brought up in the same sentences as the Braves and Dodgers. All three teams will play well and have actual races down the season’s stretch. And who knows, one of these teams can be playing in the World Series, but they made a statement this weekend.