HOUSTON -- One of the reasons relief pitcher Kendall Graveman was so enthused about being traded to the Astros from the Mariners on July 27 was the chance to pitch in the playoffs for the first time in his career. It turns out he might have gotten that chance in Seattle anyway, with the Mariners making a late push for an American League Wild Card berth (and still in contention for the AL West title).

The Astros are Graveman’s fourth team in seven years, but Houston represents his first chance to compete in the postseason, assuming the Astros can close out the AL West title and hold off Seattle. Their magic number was one entering Thursday.

“As far as excitement and pitching in the postseason and in front of a crowd, that’s exciting,” he said. “You’re one of the few teams left playing baseball, so there will be all eyes throughout America watching those games. That’s a huge testament to what this team has done, and it’s super exciting. That’s one of the reasons why I play this game, is to compete for a World Series, and this team has a chance to do that this year.”

Graveman, who was activated from the paternity list Thursday following the birth of his second daughter, hasn’t pitched nearly as well in Houston as he did with the Mariners. He had a 0.82 ERA and 0.70 WHIP in 33 innings with Seattle and has a 3.00 ERA and 1.38 WHIP with the Astros. He has allowed the same number of runs (seven) in 12 fewer innings in Houston, and with three more walks.

Still, Graveman is the Astros’ primary setup man for closer Ryan Pressly, and he’ll get a chance to get some huge outs in October.

“Obviously, I wish I would have pitched a little better in some moments,” he said. “I really started to turn the corner mentally the last two weeks, and [I] feel really good where I’m at now. You go through stretches in a season -- I don’t care who you are -- it’s hard to put together a full 162 where you don’t have any hiccups. In those moments, I was proud of myself to be able to limit damage and try to get out of situations.

“I really believe now moving forward, this is the best I've felt in quite some time, and I’m as healthy as I’ve been all year. Not that I was unhealthy, but it’s a long season, and your body feels the weariness sometimes. I’m really excited to get back on the bump and compete.”

When last year’s shortened regular season ended, Graveman spoke before his Mariners teammates while the club was in Oakland and vowed to help long-time Seattle third baseman Kyle Seager reach the playoffs in 2021. Graveman hopes that carried some weight in the Mariners' clubhouse and Seager can experience his first taste of the playoffs -- but not at the expense of the Astros.

“They’re chasing us and chasing the Wild Card, and we need to continue to take care of our business here,” Graveman said.