Reality check: Time for M’s to look ahead

The reality of the situation is this: The Seattle Mariners are not going to make the playoffs, and that’s OK.

Mathematically, it could still happen. Although the Mariners woke up this morning in last place in the American League West, the division is so weak that one long winning streak, combined with one long losing streak by the first-place Oakland Athletics, could turn things upside down. And, there’s still 22 games against A.L. West teams.

Mathematically, Richie Sexson could finish the season with a .300 average, too. As Texas-born Mariners manager Mike Hargrove might put it, the chances of that happening are between slim and none, and slim just left town.

Same goes for the Mariners’ playoff chances. For whatever reason, the A.L. West brings out the worst in the Mariners. Seattle’s .286 winning percentage against its own division is tied with Kansas City for the worst in baseball.

Playing the Rangers, A’s and Angels promises more Ls than Ws. The schedule god does Seattle no favors by pitting the Mariners against the Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers, Blue Jays and White Sox in the next five weeks.

That’s a stretch run that’s more like a stampede of the A.L.’s best teams. The Mariners would do good to finish at .500, and that’s not going to be good enough to win a division even as weak as the A.L. West is.

Hargrove and the players won’t admit it, and who can blame them? Not making the playoffs is a hard truth to swallow. The season is so long and held so much promise that it’s difficult to acknowledge that there won’t be any more games after Oct. 1.

In the coming days there will be plenty of Crash Davis quotes, about how tomorrow’s another day, you’ve got to play them one game at time, there’s still a lot of baseball left to be played, blah blah blah.

Don’t believe it. More importantly, the Mariners shouldn’t believe it.

The Mariners aren’t a playoff team; that’s the reality of the 2006 season. That being the case, the Mariners should waste no more time on this season and start getting ready for next season.

Here are a few ways to get the process started, the sooner the better:

“No more starts for Joel Piñeiro or Jamie Moyer.

The Mariners have used only five starters this season, an impressive accomplishment. However, they need production and consistency to go with the durability.

To use a car analogy, Piñeiro is as reliable as a Pontiac Fiero and Moyer has the future of an Oldsmobile. It’s past time to check out the 2007 models.

Francisco Cruceta, who leads the Pacific Coast League in strikeouts, and Cha Seung Baek, who has bounced back after a miserable 2005 in Triple-A, have each won 11 games for the Tacoma Rainiers. They don’t need to win 12.

Cruceta’s 25 years old and Baek’s 26. Time’s wasting. Let’s find out if they are going to be part of the future. If not, better to know now than later.

“Let Adam Jones play every day.

End the platoon with Willie Bloomquist, and, when Jeremy Reed gets back in September, keep Jones in center field. Jones is 21 and getting his first exposure in the majors. So far, there have been some positive signs.He’s athletic and can run down balls in the gaps. Yes, he still has lapses in the field, but he’s improving. At the plate, he shows signs of having some pop, which is more than can be said about Reed, who has a .377 slugging percentage this year after compiling a .352 percentage in 2005.

Let Jones play and see if he can be the center fielder the team needs.

“Get Chris Snelling some at-bats.

I realize Snelling isn’t exactly a top candidate for promotion given that he’s hitting below .220 with the Rainiers. But this guy – when healthy – can hit.

Those two words – “when healthy” – have been attached to Snelling’s career like an anchor. This season he’s been hindered by his left knee, which underwent anterior cruciate ligament- replacement surgery last year.

When rosters expand Sept. 1, bring up Snelling and play him as many games at designated hitter as he can stand without breaking something. Find out if he can stay upright and if he can get his swing going, because if he can, you’ve got a pretty good left-handed bat.

Besides, Snelling needs a break that doesn’t involve a trip to the orthopedist.