3. Seattle Mariners
Home games remaining: 38 (of 74)
The most brutal hurdle remaining: After a relatively soft August, the Mariners play a bunch of games on the road against a bunch of good teams during the last five weeks. Seattle has a stretch in which it plays 16 of 22 games on the road, and the Mariners' six home games in that stretch are against the White Sox and the Yankees.
Games remaining against teams with .500-plus records: 40
The big finish: The Mariners play their final six games at home, against Oakland and Texas.
It's going to be tough to make the playoffs.