SEATTLE – The Mariners know the reality of where they stand.

SEATTLE – All the hope they were starting to build with their improved play, all the good feelings they had generated from a strong finish before the All-Star break, all the anticipation for a second-half push for a return to the postseason and perhaps more, well, that was met the with the baseball equivalent of stepping on a rake.

SEATTLE – After the Mariners’ last game before the All-Star break, a win over the Astros to clinch a four-game series, manager Scott Servais walked around the clubhouse, “patting the guys on the back and telling a few of them to spend four days on the couch.”

SEATTLE – Just as the Mariners were finally starting to build some momentum – in the standings over the past two weeks, and at the plate late Friday – they quickly snapped back to reality at the worst possible moment.

SEATTLE – With the MLB draft behind them and some recent draftees expected to report to affiliates in the coming weeks, the Mariners have promoted some prospects who have excelled during their minor-league seasons.

SEATTLE – The T-Mobile Park crowd, immune to tampering rules, made a unique and powerful recruiting pitch to Shohei Ohtani in Tuesday’s All-Star Game. The “Come To Seattle” chant caught the ears of the man himself; whether it will have any influence remains to be seen.

SEATTLE – The hangover for the 2023 All-Star Game has barely subsided and Major League Baseball, perhaps taking advantage of the lack of sporting events nationally, released the master schedule for the 2024 season.

SEATTLE – The cheers were far more plentiful than the boos during All-Star Week, but the latter may have been louder.

SEATTLE – Maybe it was a little too bold given their history.

SEATTLE – From virtually the minute last year’s All-Star Game ended at Dodger Stadium, with Julio Rodriguez emerging as the new breakout star of baseball, visions of a Seattle showcase for Rodriguez in 2023 inevitably rose to the forefront.