There are probably few teams in MLB as happy to see the calendar flip to August as the Seattle Mariners.

The troubling trend developing for the Seattle Mariners

July spiraled into a bad month for the M’s. They fell out of first place in the American League West for the first time in over two months, lost 10 of their final 15 games following a 5-4 start, went 1-7 in one-run contests and lost two series to the lowly Los Angeles Angels, including being swept for the first time all season.

On top of it all, star center fielder Julio Rodríguez and shortstop J.P. Crawford went on the injured list.

However, the Mariners added reinforcements at the trade deadline and enter August in a virtual tie for first place in the AL West with the Houston Astros, and they get strong challenge right away. The Mariners open the month Friday with a three-game home series against the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies, who come in with the second-best record in MLB at 65-43.

Here’s three things to know as Seattle begins a two-month dash for the AL West title against one baseball’s top squads:

Baseball’s best top staffs square off

The Mariners and Phillies have been considered to be the best in baseball this season. The numbers back it up.

Both rotations rank in the top five in the league fWAR, ERA, FIP, opponents’ batting average, WHIP, walks per nine innings, home runs per nine innings, innings pitched and quality starts. Here’s where they stand:

• fWAR: 1. Phillies (12.7), 2. Mariners (11.9)

• ERA: 1. Mariners (3.30), 2. Phillies (3.31)

• OBA: 1. Mariners (.222), 2. Phillies (.227)

• FIP: 1. Mariners (3.54), 4. Phillies (3.63)

• BB/9: 1. Mariners (1.81), 5. Phillies (2.47)

• HR/9: 4. Phillies (0.98), 5. M’s (1.03)

• IP: 1. Mariners (640 2/3), 2. Phillies (626)

• QS: 1. Mariners (66), 2. Phillies (58)

• WHIP: 1. Mariners (1.04), 2. Phillies (1.12)

It would appear as if a pitching clinic is in line at T-Mobile Park this weekend, but neither team will seeing the best of the other’s rotation.

Philadelphia is dealing with multiple injuries. Former Mariner Taijuan Walker went on the IL with a right index finger strain in late June. Veteran right-hander Spencer Turnbull, who was moved to the bullpen in May due to Philadelphia’s wealth of starters, suffered a right lat strain in his first start after replacing Walker in the starting rotation. And All-Star left-hander Ranger Suárez recently went hit the IL with lower back soreness.

Former All-Star Aaron Nola and left-hander Cristopher Sánchez also aren’t scheduled to pitch for the Phillies.

The Mariners’ staff remains at full strength, but Luis Castillo and George Kirby won’t be taking the mound.

There’s still some good pitching matchups in store starting with Friday’s matchup between Bryan Woo (4-1, 2.35) and Tyler Phillips (3-0, 1.80). Phillips has made just three starts, but is coming off a four-hit shutout against Cleveland.

The marquee billing is Sunday’s series finale, as All-Stars Logan Gilbert (6-7, 3.11) and Zack Wheeler (10-5, 2.94) square off.

Seattle Mariners limping into August

The previously mentioned injuries to Rodríguez and Crawford are painful, but those aren’t the only health issues the Mariners are dealing with.

Breakout outfielder Víctor Robles left Tuesday’s game and didn’t play the following day with a lingering hip issue. Manager Scott Servais’ update after Wednesday’s game in Boston wasn’t very encouraging.

“I wish it was easy as just a couple days downs and it’ll going away,” Servais said. “I think this is something that he’s going to have to deal with here going forward. And then we’ll see. We’ll see how he feels.”

Robles has been red-hot since joining the team as a waiver pickup and currently helping fill the void in center field without Rodríguez. In 33 games with Seattle, Robles is slashing .360/.422/.520 eight extra-base hits and nine stolen base .

Seattle’s bullpen is also facing uncertainty after hard-throwing reliever Gregory Santos exited the game with a bicep issues. Santos was set to undergo an MRI when the team return to Seattle on Thursday. An update on Santos’ status will likely come Friday.

The good news is the Mariners are hopeful Rodríguez, who went on the IL with a high right ankle sprain on July 23, will return at some point during the homestand. Outfielder Dom Canzone also began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday.

The bad news is Crawford likely won’t return until September due to a fractured pinky.

Mirroring slide

The Mariners’ tough month of July was detailed a bit earlier. It also didn’t go much better for the Phillies. Philadelphia produced an identical 10-14 record, went 1-5 in one-run games and closed the month with a 3-9 stretch after the All-Star break.

The short-handed rotation played a factor in the Phillies’ struggles, with their starters falling to the middle pack in most categories and ranking 20th in ERA (4.64) in July after being near or at the top of the leaderboard all season. Phillies relievers also struggled with a 6.17 ERA and 19 home runs allowed over 84 2/3 innings.

In an effort to alleviate the bullpen problems, they acquired standout Angels closer Carlos Estévez and White Sox left-hander Tanner Banks at the trade deadline.

The Mariners could be catching the Phillies at the right time, but Philadelphia could say the same about the banged-up Mariners.

More on Seattle Mariners and the trade deadline

• How experts are grading Seattle Mariners trade deadline moves
• Mariners Trade Deadline Tracker: Keep up on every move
• Mariners’ Dipoto on top prospects staying put at deadline
• Drayer: Mariners navigated thin market for deadline adds
• A closer look at Mariners trade acquisition Justin Turner

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Two men accused of sexually assaulting passengers on planes during flights to Seattle were sentenced Thursday.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington said in a statement that Abhinav Kuma, of India, got 15 months in prison. Kumar, 39, was convicted of abusive sexual contact following a three-day trial in May.

Kumar was arrested at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Feb. 18 for allegedly groping the breast of a juvenile while she was trying to sleep on an Emirates flight from Dubai to Seattle, according to court records and trial testimony.

CBS Seattle affiliate KIRO-TV reports that the victim was 17. Prosecutors wanted a 21-month sentence, arguing Kumar took advantage of a vulnerable teenager, causing her lasting trauma. The victim described the assault as a “persistent, haunting presence” in her life.

Desmond Bostick, of Federal Way, Washington, was sentenced to nine months in prison for assault with intent to commit a felony. He pleaded guilty to the crime as part of a plea agreement in April and will serve three years of supervised release following his time behind bars.

While seated in the last row of a plane during a flight from San Diego on June 20, 2023, Bostick repeatedly touched the thigh of a woman in the middle seat next to him, prosecutors said. He also grabbed her buttocks twice when she stood up to let a passenger in the window seat exit and reenter the row.

After the plane landed, the woman reported Bostick’s actions to the flight crew. A federal grand jury returned an indictment in the case in September and Bostick was located and arrested by the FBI on Feb. 9. Bostick admitted as part of the plea agreement that he touched the woman with sexual motivation, prosecutors said.

According to KIRO, U.S. District Judge Jamal N. Whitehead, who imposed both sentences, told Bostock that “to characterize your conduct as a ‘lapse of judgment’ would be to divorce your conduct from its true ugliness.”

U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman said in the statement that, “”The Western District of Washington continues to see an increase in cases involving sexual assault aboard aircraft, and we have a zero-tolerance policy. These cases demonstrate that there are real consequences for this predatory behavior.”

Bob Stelton’s Baseball Breakdown picks up after the MLB trade deadline where we saw the Mariners make some of the biggest splashes in the league – but was it enough? Are the injuries mounting too fast? Why weren’t any of the bigger bats moved before the deadline? And are the M’s better equipped to win the AL West today?

Bob’s Baseball Breakdown is sponsored by Muckleshoot Resort Casino.

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