Felix Hernandez and Jon Lester face off in battle of AL West’s best

Games in September don’t actually mean anything more than games in April, at least not mathematically. In September, though, there are fewer games left on the schedule, less room for error, fewer opportunities to pad a lead or shrink one, and it gives this final month of the season a level of importance above the rest. Take Wednesday’s game between the Mariners and Athletics, which will feature a pair of aces in Felix Hernandez and Jon Lester: in April or June, this is just a high-quality game, but with mere weeks to go and a playoff picture nearly painted, it’s suddenly must-watch baseball.

Lester and Hernandez both have a case for the Cy Young, though, Felix’s is likely ever so slightly stronger. Lester has a 2.55 ERA and 155 ERA+ over 183 innings and 27 starts, while King Felix sits at 2.23, 167, and 198 over 28. Hernandez is averaging seven innings per start, saving his bullpen for the lesser rotation members who need them more, while Lester is right behind him at 6-2/3 per outing. It’s negligible, though, considering Lester has only spent about a month in a division that’s much kinder to pitchers, as the A’s acquired him at the deadline in a deal that netted the Red Sox Yoenis Cespedes. In the end, they’re both fantastic, legitimate aces, and they’re both leading the rotation of a playoff hopeful.

The A’s are 4.5 out of the AL West lead, while the Mariners are nine back, so the fight between these two has more to do with the two wild card spots. The Mariners are 1.5 games back of the Tigers for the second wild card, and six behind Oakland, recovering the game in the standings they lost on Monday with a victory against the A’s on Tuesday. While it might seem like a lot to ask for the Mariners to catch the A’s, they were six games up on the Angels just over two months ago, and, including Wednesday, have four games left on the schedule against the Mariners. The Mariners might need a victory in every one of those four in order to catch the A’s, and since nothing guarantees the Tigers or Royals -- two teams the Mariners are chasing who they do not face again this year -- falter, direct competition might be their best bet.

A series win here by the A’s could shift things dramatically. They’re well up on the Tigers and Royals, and don’t face either the rest of the year, making it more difficult for whichever one of them is not leading the AL Central to catch Oakland for the top wild card spot. It guarantees nothing, obviously, but with so little time left in the season, every win against a direct opponent like the M’s matters.