Mariners Noon Number: 17

Nelson Cruz has reached base safely in each of his last 17 games, including a two-run home run in the first inning of the Seattle Mariners 4-3 loss to the Cleveland Indians on Saturday at Progressive Field.

During the stretch, Cruz has generated at least one hit in 15 of those games and in that span is batting .404 (23 for 57) with 12 runs scored, five doubles, five home runs, 17 RBI, 10 walks and even a stolen base.

Since April 10, Cruz ranks among American League leaders in RBI (first, 17), OPS (first, 1.240), slugging percentage (second, .754), on-base percentage (second, .486), average (third, .404), home runs (tied for third with 5), hits (tied for fourth with 23), runs scored (tied for fourth with 12) and extra-base hits (tied for sixth with 10).

All this comes after he hit .080 (2 for 25) with one extra-base hit in the first seven games of the season (April 3-9).

Overall, Cruz has propped his numbers up to .303/.394/.976 for the season with six homers and 21 RBIs.

Cruz, obviously, is a vital part of the Mariners’ offense and a big reason why they’ve gone 9-6 since the horrendous 2-8 start of the season. It might not seem like that big of a turn-around, but 9-6 is a .562 winning percentage, which equals a 91-win pace.

If the Mariners still hope to qualify for their first postseason since 2001, they’ll have to at least maintain that pace to have any chance.