The Secret to the Seattle Mariners' Success

For the Seattle Mariners, the secret has been good fortune and better fundamentals.  

The M's are currently second in the AL West behind the Angels, and are also in the running for the AL wild card.

Whether they can maintain that success remains to be seen.

The Mariners' biggest strength has been their bullpen. The almost unhittable J.J. Putz has a sub-one ERA, and has converted all of his save opportunities. Setup men George Sherrill and Brandon Morrow have provided depth, as has middle reliever Sean Green.

Seattle's starting pitching, meanwhile, has been much more inconsistent. Ace Felix Hernandez started out the season with Cy Young aspirations...then got hurt and spent most of the first half trying to regain his form. Jarrod Washburn and Miguel Batista have provided much-needed stability to the volatile staff, but the rest of the Mariners starters have boom or bust, as evidenced by Jeff Weaver, who got off to a horrible start before recently catching fire.

The Mariners lineup is something of an enigma, and lacks a hitter who really scares anyone. Ichiro, for example, is spectacular at what he does, but doesn't produce enough to carry a team offensively.

Still, the M's do drive in runs from all nine spots in the order, and the majority of their starters are on pace to finish with 20-plus home runs and 80-plus RBI. The bench has also been a strong point, with excellent offensive output from Ben Broussard.

If they're going to stay in the race, though, the Mariners will need more consistent production from Richie Sexson and Adrian Beltre.

Defensively, Seattle have been solid, with the exceptions of shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt's errant arm and left fielder Raul Ibanez's hindered mobility.

The biggest change around Safeco Field in the second half will likely be the call-up of top prospect Adam Jones, who should add punch to the Mariners lineup. The successful return of Horatio Ramirez will help stabilize the rotation, and Morrow may be sent back to the minors to develop a changeup and build his stamina in hopes of becoming a starter.

The bottom line for the Mariners? They played well as a team in the first half despite the struggles of many individual players. With a bit more consistency, they have a shot to stay in the race through August.