In a season where he said nothing has come easy, Justin Verlander picked the right moment to once again look like the ace he's been for most of his career. Verlander took a shutout into the ninth inning, allowing just three hits and worked out of the one jam he faced, and the Astros created some cushion in the AL playoff chase with a 5-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night. Verlander put together a vintage performance befitting his status as one of the top right-handers in the game for most of his career.
Corey Seager and the Texas Rangers have talked all season about being resilient. Seager got the Rangers started with his 32nd homer and rookie Evan Carter added an early three-run blast in an 8-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night.
Even out on Puget Sound during an off-day fishing excursion last week, Luis Castillo did his share of winning: He pulled in the most salmon and left Mariners manager Scott Servais in awe and admiring his skill set yet again. No surprise to anybody in Seattle the way Castillo's spectacular season is going. “I'm a guy who loves to fish," Castillo explained with a smile after his latest pitching gem.
Mariners rookie Bryan Woo had six strikeouts over five spotless innings in a successful homecoming, and Seattle pulled even for the third AL wild card by beating the last-place Oakland Athletics 5-0 on Monday night. José Caballero homered for the first time in two months, and J.P. Crawford walked three times and delivered an RBI single to help the Mariners win the opener of their final road trip. Seattle moved into a tie with skidding Texas for the final American League playoff berth.
Jason Heyward, Austin Barnes and James Outman homered to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 6-1 win against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday. Heyward also had a double, single and two RBIs to finish 8 for 14 with four doubles and a home run in the three-game series. Amed Rosario was a homer shy of the cycle as the Dodgers completed a three-game sweep one day after clinching the NL West title.