Seattle's four-game September slide continued with a 4-1 loss to Atlanta as Gilbert delivered a quality start but the bullpen collapsed in the eighth behind Gabe Speier’s three-run meltdown. Seattle went quiet in the ninth, leaving the division race unsettled.

The Mariners sit 3.5 games back of Houston, with Texas lurking four behind. A favorable remaining schedule and a three-game set with the Astros in Houston on Sept. 19-21 could decide the West if Seattle capitalizes and shortens the leash on late-inning relief.