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As the regular season winds down, Julio Rodriguez and the Seattle Mariners find themselves in the thick of things. They are 1.5 games out of first place in the American League West after an impressive second half.
The division is one of the tightest in the league, with the Houston Astros, Texas Rangers and Mariners separated by less than two games. Given that the playoffs have expanded, all three teams have a chance at making the postseason.
If the Mariners do make their way into the playoffs, they might have their work cut out.
MLB podcaster Ben Verlander thinks so, at least. He believes they will need more offensive firepower outside of Julio Rodriguez if they want to make noise in the playoffs.
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"The offense as of right now isn't what it needs to be to win a World Series," Ben Verlander said.
Julio Rodriguez has been nothing short of special this season. In 140 games, he has slashed .290/.345/.504 with 30 home runs, 99 RBIs, and 36 stolen bases. He has carried this team offensively all season long.
Aside from OBP, Rodriguez leads Seattle in nearly every offensive category. Verlander believes the Mariners could be dangerous if another player can step up and get behind Rodriguez offensively.
On the pitching side, the Mariners have been dominant all season. They have three pitchers on the top-10 WHIP leaderboard (Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert).
Julio Rodriguez and the Seattle Mariners need a strong finish
Julio Rodriguez and the Seattle Mariners must finish the regular season at the top of their game to make the postseason. They are not guaranteed a playoff spot, and some tough series are coming up.
They finish a series with the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend before they take on the Oakland Athletics.
Then, Seattle takes on the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros and finishes the season with another series against the Rangers.
That is not an easy way to finish the regular season. The Mariners have three series against the two teams ahead of them in the division.
The Seattle Mariners broke their 20-year drought last season and took out the Toronto Blue Jays in the Wild Card round, before losing to the Astros in the ALDS.
The Mariners would love to find themselves in the ALCS this year, but they will have to be at the top of their game the rest of the way out.
