Vince Grippi: Felix Hernandez’s injury among obstacles Mariners have to overcome in wild-card chase

A doubleheader split can be seen as half full. Or half empty.

It just depends on your point of view.

The Mariners’ point of view, at least concerning the postseason, is the same as it was when the week began: Outside, looking in.

Thanks, in no small part, to Sunday’s split in Kansas City.

The Royals own the second of the American League wild-card spots. The Mariners, at the least, want it.

But they are no closer than when they landed in the nation’s heartland four days ago.

Once again a .500 team played a .500 series.

And that’s a problem as the days grow shorter.

Oh sure, there are still 49 games left – for Seattle, which leaves Missouri 57-56 and a game-and-a-half behind the Royals.

Kansas City has 52 games remaining. The Yankees, who lead the American League’s wild-card race, also have 52. Tampa Bay, the only other team in the race for the final playoff spot sporting an above .500 record, have 49 like Seattle.

Every chase has a finish line. You can see it pretty clearly now. And the Mariners’ road ahead seemed to grow a little bumpier over the past few days.

How so?

Felix Hernandez is on the disabled list. Again.

Yes, we all know Felix isn’t really the King anymore. He abdicated that throne a while ago, brought down by age, injuries and, more than likely, too many close losses when his loyal subjects struggled to score while he was holding court.

But he’s still a presence. When he takes the mound, there is an expectation of success, the anticipation of the old Felix showing up.

Those hopes are gone now, at least for a while, as a biceps injury sent him to the disabled list. It also necessitated another starting pitcher joining the Mariners’ already beleaguered rotation.

Recently acquired reliever David Phelps left Sunday’s first game with discomfort in his elbow. He is expected to head back to Seattle to have the arm examined. That’s too bad. The right-hander has been pretty good since the M’s picked him up from the Marlins a couple weeks ago. In his seven Seattle outings, he’s yielded a run in just one. Now the bullpen roles must change again.

Starting catcher Mike Zunino has been healthy – as far as we know – but his bat certainly hasn’t. Since July 29, the catcher has one hit in 23 at-bats. He’s struck out in 13 of those. His average has shrunk to .219, as low as its been since early June.

All that being said, there is some good news – and some help on the way.

Jerry Dipoto made a trade yesterday, sending an outfielder no longer in the Mariners’ plans, Boog Powell, to Oakland for Yonder Alonso, a left-hand hitting first baseman carrying some impressive power numbers.

Though, like everything with this team, there is not as much there as it may first appear.

Alonso started the season on fire, with 14 home runs and 31 RBIs by June 1. But he’s hit just .232 since July 1 and his OPS has been under .800 since the beginning of June.

There is a chance, as the A’s have drifted lower and lower in the standings, Alonso has just lost his edge. And maybe Dipoto is hoping a postseason chase will reawaken his bat.

More than likely, though, Alonso will platoon at first with his friend Danny Valencia. After all, Alonso is hitting almost 100 points higher against right-handed pitchers than lefties.

The trade doesn’t address the biggest need, of course, which is starting pitching.

The Mariners trotted out two recently acquired starters Sunday and the results were less than ideal.

Former Gonzaga pitcher Marco Gonzales took Hernandez’s spot in the rotation, threw two perfect innings and couldn’t get out of the fifth, despite being handed a 7-0 lead at one point. His line over the four-plus: Seven hits, five runs, all earned, and five strikeouts.

Erasmo Ramirez started the second game and was just as poor. He gave up eight hits, three of them home runs, and five earned runs in his five innings.

That the M’s split the doubleheader is probably nothing short of a miracle.

And, depending on your point of view, it may be the first of many they may need to reach the postseason.