Mariners and Athletics Meet in a Late-Season Basement Showdown
Two teams well below .500 close out their 2026 seasons with little left to play for in the standings — but individual performances still matter. There's no model read available for this one, so we're going straight to the tape.
At 70-79, Seattle is the marginally less-bad team walking into Sutter Health Park to face an Athletics squad sitting at 60-89 — one of the worst records in baseball this season. Neither club is sniffing the postseason, which means this game is about pride, prospect evaluation, and the kind of late-September auditions that shape roster decisions next spring. Bryce Miller is expected to take the mound for the Mariners, while Jacob Lopez is set to start for Oakland. Both arms will be pitching in front of thin crowds with nothing but personal performance on the line.
On the Seattle side, Randy Arozarena is the clear focal point. He's hitting .273 with 23 home runs and 71 RBI on the year — numbers that make him the Mariners' most dangerous offensive weapon in this lineup. Arozarena has the kind of power-average combination that can single-handedly change a game, and against an Athletics pitching staff that has been stretched thin all season, he's worth watching closely every at-bat. If Seattle generates any offense today, it'll likely run through him.
For Oakland, the offensive picture is split between two players. Jeff McNeil is batting .268 with 54 RBI, providing a contact-oriented presence at the top of the order. Shea Langeliers, meanwhile, matches Arozarena's 23 home runs — a legitimate power threat behind the plate who can punish a mistake pitch in a hurry. The Athletics don't have much to play for in the win column, but Langeliers has the kind of raw pop that keeps opposing pitchers honest regardless of the standings. Our model doesn't have a validated read on this game, so we're not pushing a side — but the individual matchup between two 23-homer hitters on opposite rosters is a genuinely interesting subplot in an otherwise low-stakes Sunday afternoon game.