WEST SACRAMENTO -- And just like that, the Mariners have found themselves in first place.
After a commanding 9-1 win over the A’s on Wednesday afternoon, Seattle sits atop the American League West for the first time all season.
And the only path to reach that perch was by sweeping the very club that was ahead of it in the divisional standings. And the Mariners did so in dominant fashion this week at Sutter Health Park, capping a road trip that began on an incredibly sour note in Kansas City.
Logan Gilbert cruised to his 50th career win with six dominant innings, Julio Rodríguez and Rob Refsnyder each clubbed three-run homers and Colt Emerson roped his first career triple for two more runs.
The number that told the story of this series was +18, which was the Mariners’ run differential over the A’s after they outscored them, 22-4.
That metric is typically best assessed in volume, but the massive gap in such a short stint spoke to how well-rounded Seattle’s contributions were. For context, the Mariners entered this week with a +6 run differential on the season and head home to face the D-backs at +24.
It illustrates how their pitching and hitting were maybe the best they’ve been -- at least in tandem -- in any of their 18 series this season. The arms had a combined 1.33 ERA in this series, while the bats put together 10 or more hits in all three games (as well as Sunday’s loss in Kansas City).
First place at this time of year doesn’t mean much. Yet, Memorial Day -- which was Monday -- is typically the benchmark that the sport begins to look more legitimately at the standings.
Seattle (28-29) is certainly benefiting from playing in arguably the weakest division, the only one in baseball with a first-place team under .500. Speaking of, climbing into the green would be the next step, a place the club hasn’t been since it was 3-2 March 30.
Because although this was a promising three-day stretch, the reality for a team that’s struggled to take a commanding lead of the division is that it needs to do so over a far more prolonged stretch. But this dominant week in West Sacramento could certainly be a springboard to sustained success.