The Seattle Mariners took one small step closer as they attempt to rally for a playoff appearance and their first American League West title in 23 years.

Watch: Seattle Mariners outfielders slug two-run HRs in same inning

The Mariners topped the Tampa Bay Rays 6-2 on Wednesday to secure a second consecutive series win and wrap up a brief six-game homestand. As a result, Seattle gained one game and sits 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Houston Astros, who dropped two out of three against the Philadelphia Phillies.

“We’re excited,” Mariners manger Dan Wilson said postgame Wednesday. “This is a good one to build on – another good series win – and we’ll take it on the road.”

The Mariners improved their playoff odds to 17.5% with the series victory over Tampa Bay, per FanGraphs. They entered the series at 15.1%.

“I think we just got to keep piling up series wins. I think that’s the key,” Wilson said. “It doesn’t really matter how they come. Again, we’ve got a lot of work to do here and we’re looking at it that way – just keep putting together good baseball, good at-bats, good pitching performances and turn around and see where we’re at.”

Seattle has the day off Thursday before starting a three-game series at the Los Angeles Angels on Friday. Meanwhile, Houston begins a four-game home series against the Kansas City Royals on Thursday. After Thursday, the Mariners and Astros will each have 28 games remaining. They square off once more for three games in the penultimate series of the season Sept. 23-25 in Houston.

The Mariners also alive in the wild card picture, but their chances are bleaker than their shot at winning the division.

They’re currently 4 1/2 games behind Minnesota for the third and final AL wild card berth. Seattle was 6 1/2 games out of the final wild card spot entering Monday. However, the Boston Red Sox are also just three games behind Minnesota.

The Royals, Twins and Red Sox all hold the tiebreaker over the Mariners.

Seattle has just a 3.3% chance of clinching a wild card berth.

Schedule watching

A look at the remaining strength of schedule, toughest remaining opponent by record and easiest remaining opponent by record for the Mariners, Astros, Twins and Red Sox, per Tankathon.

• The Mariners have the 25th-toughest remaining schedule with an opponents’ winning percentage of .481.Their toughest remaining opponent is three games against the Yankees. Their easiest remaining opponent is three games against the Angels.

• The Astros have the 14th-toughest remaining schedule with an opponents’ winning percentage of .499. Their toughest remaining opponent is three games against the Diamondbacks. Their easiest remaining opponent is seven games against the Angels.

• The Twins have the 16th-toughest remaining schedule with an opponents’ winning percentage of .497. Their toughest remaining opponents is three games against the Orioles. Their easiest remaining opponent is thee games against the Marlins.

• The Red Sox have the 18th-toughest remaining schedule with an opponents’ winning percentage of .496. Their toughest remaining opponent is four games against the Yankees. Their easiest remaining opponent is three games against the White Sox.

Up next

The Mariners open a three-game series at the Angels on Friday. Seattle’s pitching probables (in order) are right-hander George Kirby, right-hander Bryan Woo and right-hander Bryce Miller, while Los Angeles is set to counter with right-hander Carson Fulmer, left-hander Tyler Anderson and right-hander Johnny Cueto.

The Angels sit in last place in the AL West at 54-78, which is better than only the historically bad White Sox in the AL. However, they have won five straight against Seattle.

The Mariners are 4-6 overall this season against the Angels.

More on the Seattle Mariners

• Mariners activate shortstop J.P. Crawford off IL, send down Canzone
• Passan: The one thing that makes Mariners’ rotation phenomenal
• Did Brant Brown’s interview hint at problem with Mariners’ offense?
• Dan Wilson details how he became the new Mariners manager
• Drayer: Looking at Scott Servais’ legacy, why Seattle Mariners let him go

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The Seattle Seahawks, on the heels of putting together their initial 53-man roster, set their first 15-player practice squad on Wednesday, all of whom were waived or released by the team on Tuesday.

There were only a few minor surprises as rookie sixth-round cornerback D.J. James was not re-signed and the team did not add a third quarterback to carry on its practice squad, yet. Both of those situations could change, as Seattle still has two practice squad spots remaining.

The Seahawks did retain offensive tackle Max Pircher as part of the 15 members, who doesn’t count against the 16-player limit as an International Pathway Program player.

Rookie seventh-round linebacker Michael Barrett was also brought back after being waived Tuesday. Seattle sent veteran cornerback Mike Jackson to the Carolina Panthers for Barrett in a one-for-one player swap on Thursday, Aug. 22.

Former 2022 fifth-round pick Tyreke Smith was reportedly set to sign to Seattle’s practice squad as well, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Smith was not part of the initial group, but could still be added in the coming days. That would leave the Seahawks with one open spot.

Here’s the full list of players re-signed to Seattle’s practice squad following a busy beginning of the week for the team’s front office and coaching staff.

* International Pathway Program player doesn’t count against 16-player practice squad limit

The Modesto Nuts, the low-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, will be staying in Modesto for the 2025 season.

The Nuts put the message out on social media on Tuesday night.

Today, the City of Modesto voted on extending our lease through September of 2025! We want to thank all of our fans and partners for their continued support. We will see you at John Thurman Field next season!

This has been a wild saga for the Nuts franchise, who thought they were going to leave at the end of the season. It’s all been centered around ballpark issues at John Thurman Field, but apparently those issues have been resolved – at least temporarily. The lease with the Nuts and the ballpark had been scheduled to end at the conclusion of this season.

Without knowing the full story, it’s hard to say exactly what’s going on here. John Thurman Field is old, having opened in 1955. Perhaps the Mariners want the team to get a new ballpark but wants the city to pay for it? Perhaps the city wants a new ballpark but wants the Mariners to pay for it? Either way, the issues have been alleviated, at least temporarily.

The Nuts have served as a minor league affiliate for the Mariners, Colorado Rockies, Oakland A’s, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City A’s, Houston Colt .45s, New York Yankees, Milwaukee Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Browns in its history. They’ve won 10 league titles, most recently in 2023 for the Mariners. They’ve housed some of the best prospects in the M’s system this year, including Colt Emerson and Laz Montes.

NEW PODCAST IS OUT: The latest episode of the “Refuse to Lose” podcast is out as Brady Farkas talks about the Mariners getting closer to the Astros in the AL West race. What is his goal by September? Furthermore, we examine the recent comments by now-fired hitting coach Brant Brown, the approach at the plate from Julio Rodriguez and our takeaways from the first few games of the Dan Wilson-era. CLICK HERE:

HISTORIC STAFF: With Bryce Miller’s dominant outing on Monday, three different Mariners pitchers are now part of the record books. CLICK HERE:

NO SOTO: The Seattle Mariners apparently aren’t likely to be in play for Juan Soto this offseason. Here’s why. CLICK HERE:

Continue to follow our Inside the Mariners coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following Teren Kowatsch and Brady Farkas on “X” @Teren_Kowatsch and @wdevradiobrady. You can subscribe to the “Refuse to Lose” podcast by clicking HERE: