On the strength of 13 wins in their last 14 games and back-to-back victories over the Astros, the Seattle Mariners clinched the season series with Houston and opened a two-game lead in the American League West with seven games remaining.

The Mariners' 6-4 win on Saturday inched them closer to their first division title since 2001. By no means is the job finished, but taking the first two contests of a crucial three-game series with the host Astros certainly placed the Mariners in an enviable position heading into the series finale on Sunday evening.

"We've been saying all along that we need to just focus on what we do, and if we take care of business on our end, we'll be where we want to be," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. "And that hasn't changed. We've just got to continue to do the

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