Dein erstes Forum » The Seattle Mariners seem to have run out of time in

their quest to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2001.They’ve lost four of their past five games to fall 9 1/2 games back of the second wild-card spot in the American League. Seattle has 17 games left heading into its series opener Thursday night against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium.Article continues below ...The Mariners (79-66) had a three-game lead over the Oakland A’s for the second wild-card position at the All-Star break Joey Gallo Jersey , but Oakland has surged past the Mariners with a 34-15 mark in the second half.Seattle is 21-27 since the All-Star break.“The second half of the season has been very poor,” Seattle manager Scott Servais told the Tacoma News Tribune after a 5-4 loss to the San Diego Padres on Wednesday. “It’s focus. It’s being prepared and ready to come with an edge to your game every day, and that is a personal pride matter.”The Angels (73-73) are playing better of late. They’ve won six of their past seven to get back to .500. They lost six of the first nine games against the Mariners this season before winning four of the past six.The Angels are getting productive at-bats of late from some of their most inexperienced players.Francisco Arcia hit two home runs in an 8-1 victory against the visiting Texas Rangers on Wednesday, and Jose Fernandez homered in a second straight game after hitting his first major league home run Tuesday.“I just want to hit the ball and put it in play,” Arcia told Fox Sports West after Wednesday’s win. “I feel amazing. I try to do my job and play hard.”On Thursday, Mariners right-hander Mike Leake is scheduled to make his 29th start of the season and fifth against the Angels. He’s 1-3 against Los Angeles this year with a 5.59 ERA.Leake has made at least 30 starts in each of the past six seasons, a mark only reached by Ian Kennedy, Jon Lester and Max Scherzer in that span.Leake (9-9, 4.11 ERA) made back-to-back starts against the Angels in July and neither went well.He allowed four runs (three earned) and nine hits in four innings of a 7-4 loss in Seattle on July 4, and seven runs (five earned) and 12 hits in four innings of a 9-3 loss at Angel Stadium on July 10.“They’ve just been aggressive,” Leake told reporters after the second loss.Leake got on a roll after the second game against the Angels, producing six consecutive quality starts from July 15 to Aug. 15.Leake struggled in back-to-back outings against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Oakland A’s in late August, but was sharp in his most recent appearance http://www.rangersfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-moore-jersey , holding the Baltimore Orioles without an earned run over six innings in a 5-2 victory Sept. 5.Leake, who was selected eighth overall in the 2009 draft, 17 spots in front of Angels center fielder Mike Trout, has a team-leading 18 quality starts this season.Overall in his career against the Angels, he’s 3-3 with a 4.05 ERA in six career starts.The Angels plan to start Odrisamer Despaigne (2-2, 6.40) on Thursday and continue with a string of relievers, a tactic that worked well Tuesday against the visiting Texas Rangers. Eight relievers combined for a 1-0 victory, holding the Rangers without a hit for 7 1/3 innings.Despaigne has not faced the Mariners this season, and he allowed one hit and no runs in one inning of relief in 2016 in his only career appearance against them. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Vogt is ready to do whatever he can to take pressure off Buster Posey as both catchers work to bounce back from surgeries that cut their 2018 seasons short.Vogt is returning to the Bay Area after agreeing to a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants.He shared the news in a text message Monday, when he arrived in the Arizona desert from his home in snowy Washington state — “14 inches,” he noted saying Arizona felt great already — and headed to the club’s spring training complex in Scottsdale, where pitchers and catchers report Tuesday.San Francisco also agreed to a minor league deal last week with catcher Rene Rivera.“I definitely believe it presents a good opportunity. Obviously Buster, he’s the guy. If he’s not going to be 100 percent then hopefully we can pick up the slack and hold the fort down until he’s ready to go 100 percent Ferguson Jenkins Jersey ,” Vogt said by phone from Phoenix. “For me, too, I have to get healthy first as well. I know Rene Rivera is going to play a big part in that as well and I’m excited to work with him. I played against him for a number of years as well. It’s going to be fun the three of us talking and putting our heads together.”New Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said Friday he was still seeking depth at the catcher position behind Posey, who is recovering from right hip surgery.Vogt grew up in California’s Central Valley, and the Giants were his favorite team. He used to pretend he was Will Clark in the backyard and loved Barry Bonds. Vogt attended the final game at Candlestick Park and the first at the franchise’s new waterfront ballpark when it opened in 2000.“Just getting a chance to talk to Farhan and chat everything out, it was very exciting for me, because not only is it back to the Bay and back where Alyssa and I had our kids and spent a bunch of years, it was my childhood favorite team, as well,” Vogt said. “So growing up a Giants fan, this is going to be so incredible.”Vogt and Zaidi knew each other before Zaidi left the A’s for the Dodgers, where he spent the past four years as general manager.The 34-year-old Vogt had surgery on his troublesome right shoulder last May and didn’t play for Milwaukee last year. He says he feels great now and is throwing, but throwing from the catcher’s crouch remains a step he must complete.A career .251 hitter with 57 homers and 218 RBIs through parts of six major league seasons http://www.rangersfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-moore-jersey , Vogt played for Oakland from 2013 through part of ’17.The A’s designated the fan favorite for assignment in June that year. Vogt was so likable he drew chants of “I believe in Stephen Vogt!”A rookie and playoff first-timer in October 2013, Vogt delivered a game-ending hit against Detroit in the best-of-five division series. He had left the Tampa Bay organization for the Bay Area on April 5 that season, traded back home to his native California, only a couple of hours from where he grew up and still lived in Visalia.Vogt was a minor league journeyman who made it to the major leagues at last at age 28. He needed 33 at-bats to finally get his first big league hit, a home run against St. Louis’ Joe Kelly on June 28, 2013. Rewind to that spring, and Vogt spent six days in Durham, North Carolina, wondering about his baseball future. He didn’t make the Rays’ opening-day roster and figured to start the season there at Triple-A. Then, Oakland acquired him.