HOUSTON -- The Mariners haven’t had at least a share of first place in the American League West in 45 days, with their hopes of winning their first division title since 2001 taking one hit after another in this stretch.

That pursuit officially ended on Tuesday night with a 4-3 loss at Minute Maid Park, where they watched the Astros punctuate their summer-long turnaround by claiming the division title, their seventh in the past eight years.

In the short term, the Mariners must shift focus to the AL Wild Card race, where their hopes are fleeting. In the long term, there will be reflection on how they can finally supplant their rivals in Houston, whose 2024 title was unlike any in this era that preceded it: One that the Mariners were running away with -- until a sharp, midsummer spiral that, barring the miraculous in their final four games, will come to define Seattle’s season.

“We know where we were halfway through the season and where we're at now,” said Logan Gilbert, who surrendered four runs on Monday. “So it's frustrating.”

The Mariners carried a 10-game lead atop the AL West entering June 19 before squandering it on July 19 in just 24 games, the shortest span -- by far, per Elias -- for any team to lose a double-digit lead in the divisional era (since 1969). A more elongated stretch of struggles pushed Seattle from occupying sole possession of a playoff spot since Aug. 7.

Tuesday marked the second time in a week that the Mariners witnessed another team celebrating a playoff berth, after the Yankees clinched last week in Seattle. On a grander level, they watched the Rangers celebrate at T-Mobile Park in the penultimate game last year before their World Series title run and these Astros do the same after the 18-inning marathon in Game 3 of the 2022 AL Division Series, also in Seattle.

“It always hurts watching any team celebrate, much less the team you're competing against in the same division,” Cal Raleigh said.

The Mariners entered this series in Houston with a long shot of reclaiming first place again, needing to sweep then get help from the Guardians, the Astros’ opponent this weekend. But there was an outside chance -- and hope -- especially given their commanding win on Monday and strong showing early on Tuesday.

After Gilbert surrendered a solo homer to Alex Bregman in the first inning, Jorge Polanco immediately responded with a solo blast off Framber Valdez in the second. The Mariners manufactured two more in the third via four base hits. But they also had Mitch Garver hit into an inning-ending double play with runners on the corners.

That was their first of three instances in which they couldn’t plate a runner from third base with one out, and they wound up never scoring again. With it, they fell to 27-27 in one-run games, a category that they led the Majors in wins from 2021-22.

“We've played here a bunch, and played in big games here,” Raleigh said. “And it was no different [today]. We knew what to expect. We knew they're never out of it.”

Overall, Seattle also stranded two runners in the first, sixth and eighth -- the latter of which was capped by an inning-ending strikeout from J.P. Crawford on a check-swing that went too far. It was his career-high fourth K of the night.

“I didn’t do my job,” Crawford said. “I’ve got to do better than that. … It’s been a [tough] year at the plate, plain and simple.”

Stuff-wise, Gilbert felt as strong as he had all season. But the three homers -- which tied a season high -- proved too tall to overcome. Bregman crushed a first-pitch fastball to straightaway center, Kyle Tucker yanked a 2-2 curveball that didn’t drop enough just barely beyond right field and Jason Heyward ambushed a 1-1 heater for a two-run shot that nearly reached the second deck.

For the first time in his career, Gilbert was the losing pitcher of record when receiving at least three runs of support while on the mound; he’d been 37-0 within that criteria to this point.

The Mariners (81-77) are still alive in the AL Wild Card race, but barely. They fell to 2 1/2 games behind the Royals and Tigers, who each hold a tiebreaker, essentially meaning that the Mariners are 3 1/2 back -- and with only four to play.

If they were to somehow claim the No. 6 seed, a best-of-three AL Wild Card Series would await next Tuesday -- right here in Houston.